A Chehalis man is facing felony harassment and assault charges for allegedly threatening his roommate with a knife about an hour after he was sentenced on an unrelated case in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.
The defendant, Byron R. Taylor Jr., 29, is accused of arming himself with a kitchen knife and threatening to kill his roommate after his roommate inadvertently threw away some of Taylor’s food, according to court documents.
Taylor’s roommate reported Taylor “had been gone for several days” and while he was gone, his roommate cleaned out a kitchen cupboard to “get rid of old canned food and ‘junk,’” according to court documents.
When Taylor arrived home at about 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Taylor allegedly “demanded his stuff back,” prompting his roommate to try and recover some of the thrown-away items. At this point, Taylor allegedly took “a kitchen knife with a serrated edge and a sharp point” and “threatened (the roommate’s) life,” according to court documents.
The roommate reportedly retreated to his room and closed the door, but Taylor allegedly “kicked the door open” and said “Why shouldn’t I stab you? Why shouldn’t I kill you right now?” according to court documents.
Another roommate at the residence reportedly confirmed the alleged victim’s account of the incident, according to court documents.
About an hour before the alleged 11:45 a.m. incident, Taylor was present in Lewis County Superior Court for a sentencing hearing on an unrelated case where he was charged with failure to register as a sex offender. Taylor pleaded guilty to the charge during a 10:30 a.m. and was sentenced by Judge Joely Yeager.
Yeager ordered Taylor to pay a $500 victim assessment fee, but did not sentence him to any time in prison.
Yeager was the presiding judge during Taylor’s preliminary hearing on the new charges Thursday afternoon.
Given Taylor’s criminal history, “to include the fact that he was given a very stern warning yesterday and was released,” Yeager set Taylor’s bail at $50,000.
Yeager also approved a no-contact order protecting the alleged victim.
Taylor’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16.
