The man accused of grabbing a woman by her throat and throwing her against a wall, breaking her back, at a medical facility in Centralia last May has been arrested on a $250,000 warrant.
The man, Joshua D. Rockwell, 37, of Edmonds, was booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19, according to jail records.
A court commissioner ruled to maintain that bail amount during a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23.
Because defense attorney Rachael Tiller expressed “definite competency concerns” after meeting with Rockwell, a mental health competency evaluation has been requested.
Rockwell and the alleged victim were reportedly standing next to at the front counter of a mental health facility in the 3510 block of Steelhammer Drive at the time of the incident on May 7, 2022, when Rockwell allegedly began to yell at the victim before grabbing her by the throat and throwing her against the wall, according to chagrin documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court. The alleged victim then reportedly fell to the floor “and began to yell in pain.”
She was taken to the hospital, where medical staff later learned she suffered a burst fracture in her back from the incident, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, Rockwell was “subdued by staff members and taken to his room.”
When questioned by law enforcement, Rockwell allegedly admitted to grabbing the victim by the throat and throwing her into the wall “because she wouldn’t stop talking,” according to court documents.
Video footage from the facility and witness testimony reportedly confirmed the sequence of events.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges of second-degree assault against Rockwell nearly eight months later, on Dec. 30, 2022.
Rockwell was issued a summons notice on Jan. 6 ahead of a Jan. 24 preliminary hearing, which he was not present for.
The court issued the $250,000 bench warrant the day of that hearing.
