An Olympia man accused of slashing his roommate's face with a machete on July 19 is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.
James Raungsang Reinholdt, 49, attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday. Olympia police arrested him Monday on suspicion of first-degree assault, domestic violence.
The incident occurred at a residence on the 500 block of 10th Avenue Southeast near the Olympia Post Office. The 62-year-old victim reportedly interrupted Reinholdt's video game session because he was locked out of the apartment, Police Lt. Paul Lower said. That's when Reinholdt allegedly grabbed a machete and started swinging.
A neighbor took the roommate to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, but he was later transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to court records.
Olympia police responded to the scene the day of the incident, but they were unable to locate Reinholdt until Monday afternoon. Lower previously said police found the suspect on the 400 block of Carpenter Road Southeast thanks to a tip from the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
On Tuesday, Judge Mary Sue Wilson found probable cause for second-degree assault, domestic violence, while armed with a deadly weapon and set the bail amount. In doing so, she reasoned there existed a substantial danger that Reinholdt may commit a violent crime if released.
Reinholdt has a criminal history that dates back to 1992 and spans multiple states, including Arizona, California, Florida and Washington. Those cases include assault, firearm and narcotics-related crimes, among others.
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the incident from the perspective of law enforcement.
The neighbor went to the police department to report the alleged assault at around 1 a.m. July 19. Officers responded to the residence on 10th Avenue and found a blood trail on the sidewalk from the neighbor's apartment to the victim's apartment, according to the statement.
The officers attempted to hail Reinholdt from outside the apartment but there was no response. Another neighbor then informed the officers that Reinholdt drove away from the scene before they arrived.
After acquiring a search warrant, the statement says officers searched the home and collected evidence. They reportedly found a 3-foot-long machete with a silver blade and black handle that was covered in dried blood and white hair.
Meanwhile, another officer interviewed the victim at Providence St. Peter Hospital. He told police he called Reinholdt to the door to let him in because he forgot his key inside the residence.
Reinholdt allegedly became "very angry" about having to open the door and blamed the alleged victim for his character's death in the video game, according to the statement.
The victim alleged Reinholdt grabbed the machete and hit the couch with it in anger. Then, the victim said, he raised the machete to hit the victim, but the victim didn't flinch. This reportedly angered Reinholdt further.
The victim said Reinholdt then slashed the victim with the machete on the right side of his face. The cut to the victim's face was about 14 centimeters long and ran from nose to ear, police reported.
The statement says the victim needed a medical specialist at Harborview Medical Center to reattach part of his face.
Reinholdt's arraignment has been set for 9 a.m. Aug. 8.
