A man who was found sleeping in a teacher’s lounge inside a Centralia College building shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 7, is facing felony charges related to the incident in Lewis County Superior Court.
A campus security guard reportedly found the man, identified as Matthew Christian Gardner, 52, of Lakewood, during a nightly check of the buildings, according to court documents.
The security guard stated he did not approach Gardner “due to a hatchet located next to the male suspect” and instead called the police.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department were dispatched to the college at 12:35 a.m. on Aug. 7, according to call logs.
When he was contacted by an officer, Gardner allegedly gave the officer an identification card he had found in Tenino that was not his own. He reportedly later provided his real identification card, and officers learned Gardner had several active warrants, according to court documents.
A search of Gardner and his backpack during the arrest yielded needles, suspected meth and drug paraphernalia, according to court documents.
Gardner was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 1:10 a.m. on Aug. 7 and has since been charged with one count each of second-degree burglary, first-degree identity theft and violation of the uniform controlled substances act.
As of Tuesday morning, Garnder was in custody on a no bail hold pending his preliminary hearing, which was delayed twice due to illness. The hearing is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9.
