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A man accused of threatening to kill a family and burn their house down in Centralia on Thursday has been charged with one count each of felony harassment and threats to bomb or injure property.
Bail is set at $50,000.
Under Washington state law, felony harassment involves a defendant allegedly threatening to kill or injure a person, and threats to bomb or injure property involves a defendant allegedly “threaten to bomb or otherwise injure any place used for human occupancy … knowing such information to be false and with intent to alarm the person or persons to whom the information is communicated or repeated.”
Felony harassment is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Threatening to bomb or injure property is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Jeremy H. West, 45, of Cathlamet, was arrested in the 200 block of East Plum Street just before 8:25 p.m. on May 1 after a woman called the police to report that “a male was outside her residence and making death threats and harassing her family,” according to Centralia Police department call logs and Lewis County Superior Court charging documents.
According to the family of four, a man who was later allegedly identified as West was sleeping in a field directly across the street from their residence when an unidentified subject drove past him on an ATV and “accidentally kicked up dirt onto the male as he was laying in the field.”
West then allegedly “became upset and agitated and began screaming at (one of the victims) and his family,” according to court documents.
The family was reportedly outside on the front lawn of their residence when the incident occurred.
West allegedly approached an adult male member of the family and “accused the family of throwing dirt on his face,” with the victim denying that the family was involved.
“This denial further angered West,” the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office alleges in charging documents.
West allegedly “made motions like he was shooting a rifle, simulating the act with an umbrella,” according to the Centralia Police Department. He allegedly threatened to kill the family and to “return to their home and burn it to the ground,” according to court documents.
He allegedly continued to yell at the family until officers with the Centralia Police Department arrived and arrested him.
He was booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 9:42 p.m. on May 1, according to jail records.
Charges were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday, May 2.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller said during West’s preliminary hearing on Friday that West “was quite alarmed, he felt quite disrespected,” when reviewing the allegations.
According to Tiller, West said that he stayed on the sidewalk and did not step onto the victims’ property during the alleged incident.
“Frankly, I don’t think that Mr. West meant any harm,” Tiller said Friday.
While West has no felony history on his record, he does have convictions for disorderly conduct, fourth-degree assault and DUI, according to court documents.
He also has a pending case out of Pacific County that was filed in January.
Due to his recent history and lack of ties to the community, Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager said Thursday, “I have concerns that if released he would commit new crimes.”
She granted the prosecution’s request for $50,000 bail and issued an order prohibiting West from having any contact with the victims or their property until the case is resolved.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
