A Tacoma man is facing assault charges for allegedly threatening two people with a knife and pushing a third at George Washington Park in Centralia on Friday.
Eddie James Poellnitz, 43, is accused of going up to a group of three strangers in the park and pushing one of them, prompting another in the group to “yell at (Poellnitz) and call him names for pushing her friend.”
Poellnitz then began walking toward the woman who was yelling and as he approached, he allegedly “pulled out a knife, unfolded the blade and stated, ‘shut your f-cking mouth b-tch, or I will poke you,” according to court documents.
Poellnitz also allegedly threatened a man in the group who “had his own knife and had it at his side in order to protect himself,” according to court documents.
The woman ran from the area and called 911, which dispatched officers with the Centralia Police Department just before 5:55 p.m.
Both victims told officers they “felt Poellnitz was going to assault him.”
Officers located Poellnitz at the scene and placed him under arrest, finding a folding knife in his pocket in the process.
He was booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 6:35 p.m. on Aug. 5 and has since been charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon enhancement.
While prosecuting attorney Will Halstead asked Judge James Lawler to raise Poellnitz’s bail to $25,000 on Monday, citing the severity of the allegations and active warrants out of other counties for Poellnitz’s arrest, Lawler opted to maintain the $15,000 bail that another judge set over the weekend.
Poellnitz’s next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 11.
