A Centralia man who was reportedly hit by a vehicle while trying to enter occupied cars on a Vader street on Thanksgiving is facing assault charges for allegedly biting and attempting to injure deputies who arrested him on an outstanding warrant for trying to strangle a woman in September.
Deputies were called to Seventh Street in Vader on Thursday on reports of a disorderly man, later identified as 33-year-old Chad Colton Bass, attempting to open occupied vehicles on the roadway.
When deputies arrived, a self-identified friend of Bass’ was holding Bass down. The friend told deputies he was driving Bass, who was noticeably intoxicated, to Thanksgiving dinner when Bass “jumped out of the moving vehicle and began to hit his head on the hood of the vehicle in order to provoke his friend,” according to court documents.
Bass was then reportedly struck by a moving vehicle and thrown approximately 6 feet. He got up and ran down Seventh Street, which is where the friend caught up with him and detained him, according to court documents.
Deputies discovered Bass had an active arrest warrant for a domestic violence case that occurred in Centralia on Sept. 23, when he allegedly attempted to strangle a woman and slashed three tires in the Seminary Hill Road area before fleeing the scene. He was charged for third-degree malicious mischief along with second- and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence, on Oct. 7 and the court issued a $25,000 arrest warrant that same day.
While deputies were arresting him, Bass allegedly bit a deputy’s hand through her glove and made “a biting motion” toward another deputy, according to court documents. One deputy accompanied Bass in the ambulance to the hospital for a medical examination and during the ride, Bass allegedly grabbed the deputy’s hand “and squeezed to the point of causing pain,” according to court documents.
Bass was booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 4 p.m. on Nov. 25 and faces three new third-degree assault charges for allegedly attacking the deputies.
Due to the “strong likelihood that Mr. Bass will be violent,” said Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer, the jail requested Bass be restrained during his Nov. 29 preliminary appearance hearing. Judge James Lawler approved the request.
While Meyer requested $50,000 in bail for the Oct. 7 case and an additional $25,000 for the Nov. 25 case based on the nature of the charges, defense attorney Rachael Tiller requested that bail be no higher than $10,000 for each case.
According to Tiller, Bass knew nothing of the active warrant prior to his arrest, and the behavior he exhibited during his arrest “is absolutely nothing like him,” she said.
Bass told Tiller that before the incident on Seventh Avenue, a friend had given him a drink at Thanksgiving dinner “and he does believe his drink had been laced with something,” Tiller said.
Lawler opted to grant Meyer’s bail request. To be released from jail, Bass will have to post the bail amount for both cases, a total of $75,000.
Bass’ next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 2.
