A 65-year-old Woodland man is accused of brandishing a handgun during a road rage incident on Interstate 5 in Lewis County on Saturday, Aug. 2.
Stephen Roy Lee made his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, Aug. 4. He’s charged with second-degree assault and unlawful display of a weapon.
A Washington State Patrol trooper arrested Lee Saturday after receiving reports he pointed a firearm at another driver while traveling through Lewis County. The report came from a driver who claimed Lee pointed a gun at their vehicle while she was with her son, his girlfriend and a 1-year-old child.
During Lee’s preliminary hearing, Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller pleaded Lee’s case, asking Judge Paul Strophy to set his bail amount at no more than $10,000 unsecured bail on account of Lee having no criminal history.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office requested $100,000 bail and a protection order for the victims due to the serious and threatening nature of the crime
Strophy ultimately set bail at $50,000 and ordered a protection order to protect the alleged victims. While recognizing Lee’s lack of criminal history, Strophy said he felt the crime still warranted concerns over community safety, citing Lee’s admission to brandishing the weapon during his arrest.
“Anytime somebody is driving toward you in any manner, even if they’re the at-fault party for this kind of a road rage incident,” Strophy said, “brandishing a weapon is never the solution. While he disputes pointing it at them, according to the probable cause statement, at least, there was an admission to brandishing the weapon.”
Before Lee was arrested on Saturday, a trooper with the Washington State Patrol interviewed the driver and passengers of the car that reported Lee after they exited the interstate at Exit 71. During the interview, the driver's son reported the man with the gun appeared to be in his 50s with a mustache and driving a red Chevrolet pickup truck.
After the interview, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped Lee in his truck near mile marker 62 between the exits for Winlock and Toledo. During the stop, Lee denied having a firearm in the vehicle with him. He claimed he was flipped off by the driver of the other vehicle, who was driving aggressively.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by prosecutors, Lee initially claimed that he had pointed his fingers like a gun at the passing car and said he may have a pistol-style BB gun in a bag, which he consented to be searched by the deputies. No BB gun was found. After further denying having a gun, Lee was asked to step out of the vehicle where he was handcuffed.
After Lee exited the vehicle, officers said they could see a holster and handgun behind the front passenger seat. At that time, Lee admitted to having brandished the weapon at the passing car and consented to the officers retrieving the .22 caliber handgun.
Lee’s next court appearance for arraignment and trial setting is set for Thursday, Aug. 14.
