A man who allegedly broke into an occupied Centralia home with a hatchet early Monday morning was arrested after the homeowner detained the suspect at gunpoint.
Jose Armando Valdovinos Flores, 23, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 2:20 a.m. on Sept. 23 and has since been charged with one count of first-degree burglary, according to jail records and court documents.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Bail is set at $150,000.
Valdovinos allegedly broke into a residence in an undisclosed area of Centralia with the intent of finding a man “because of an incident occurring in Mexico approximately 1.5 years ago,” according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
Investigators were unable to identify the male Valdovinos said he was looking for, but Valdovinos allegedly “said he brought the hatchet with him to ‘axe’ someone’” and “admitted that he entered the residence with the intent to use the hatchet to ‘finish the fight,’” according to court documents.
The homeowner’s 13-year-old granddaughter was reportedly asleep on the couch when she heard someone enter the residence. Thinking it was a relative, the granddaughter reported “she did not think anything was wrong until she saw the male,” later identified as Valdovinos, “moving chairs in the kitchen using the hatchet.”
She said she pretended to be asleep until Valdovinos reportedly came over to the couch and moved her blanket “to see whether she was asleep or not,” according to court documents.
“She said that she told the male she had to go to the bathroom, at which point she saw the male raise and then lower the hatchet back down,” according to court documents.
The granddaughter later reported “she was scared for her life, but no threats were made.”
She said that she went and woke up her grandfather, advising him “that a male with a hatchet was inside the house.”
The homeowner reportedly grabbed his gun, which was equipped with a light, and confronted Valdovinos.
The homeowner told law enforcement personnel that Valdovinos “put the hatchet on the table when the gun was pointed at him and did not make any threats to use the hatchet,” according to court documents.
The homeowner then called the police and continued holding Valdovinos at gunpoint until Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived. No shots were fired.
Deputies reportedly called in a Spanish-speaking Centralia Police Department officer to communicate with Valdovinos, who does not speak English.
Valdovinos allegedly told the officer he knew the homeowner’s son, having done work for him during the day.
When questioned, the homeowner’s son said he has known Valdovinos for about a year, but neither he nor the homeowner had invited Valdovinos into the house until earlier that night, when the homeowner hosted a gathering.
Valdivinos has no prior criminal history, according to court documents.
Despite that lack of history and Valdovinos Flores’ lack of finances, Judge Joely Yeager set Valdivinos' bail at $150,000.
The prosecution had requested bail to be set at $100,000, while the defense requested a lower bail.
“The allegations in this affidavit of probable cause are some of the most concerning I’ve seen in a while,” Yeager said during Valdovinos Flores’ preliminary hearing on Sept. 23. “The court is very concerned for community safety. I understand that Mr. Valdovinos Flores does not have the income to post bail, but the court has to put community safety as the property here.”
During his hearing on Monday, Valdovinos was heard saying, through an interpreter, that he “does not view this as a serious offense.”
Yeager said that statement was one of her reasons for setting a high bail.
“(Valdovinos' statement) again confirms this court’s concern that if he was to be released, he would likely reoffend,” Yeager said Monday.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26.
