Six males between the ages of 15 and 23 accused of breaking into the Cowlitz River Salmon Hatchery in Salkum on Sunday and snagging salmon out of the fish pens are facing felony charges in Lewis County.
The subjects were arrested after a Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officer reportedly saw them walking around the inside of the fish separator facility with fishing poles at about 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
“Over the past week, (the officer) had received reports that individuals were breaking into the hatchery overnight and snagging salmon out of the fish pens,” according to court documents.
The officer reportedly began walking toward them when he saw them approach the fish pens. While he was approaching, “the group of males noticed him and began running away,” even after the officer identified himself and ordered them to stop, according to court documents.
One of the subjects, later identified as a 15-year-old boy, was detained after he tripped and fell.
The other five males reportedly got into a Ford pickup while the officer was detaining the 15-year-old. While the officer was still standing with the 15-year-old, the Ford reportedly drove toward the officer and did not stop when the officer flashed his light and yelled at the driver, later identified as Timothy A. Gubarik, 21, of Kent, to stop. The officer reportedly had to jump out of the way of the vehicle to avoid being hit.
The pickup then reportedly turned around and came back toward the officer. The officer reported he moved to the center of the roadway to be more visible, but “the vehicle began rapidly accelerating towards him and he had to quickly move to the other side of the road to avoid being struck,” according to court documents. The officer’s move left the 15-year-old unaccompanied on the other side of the road.
The pickup reportedly stopped and picked up the 15-year-old, at which time the officer “quickly ran up to the vehicle and slashed its tires in (an) attempt to disable it,” according to court documents.
A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped the vehicle a short distance down the road, according to court documents.
Five males were inside the vehicle when law enforcement arrived, with a sixth male found walking nearby.
Four of the males — the 15-year-old and three 17-year-olds — were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center.
Their cases will be handled in Lewis County Juvenile Court. Juvenile criminal cases are protected records in Washington state, so information on their cases is not publicly available.
The remaining two males, Gubarik and Roman Tymoshuk, 18, of Auburn, were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 4:50 a.m. on Sept. 29, according to charging documents and jail records.
Gubarik and Tymoshuk were each charged Monday, Sept. 30, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of second-degree burglary and attempted third-degree theft. Gubarik faces additional charges of second-degree assault, obstructing a law enforcement officer and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
Tymoshuk was released on $10,000 unsecured bail following his preliminary hearing on Monday. His conditions of release include a provision prohibiting from having any contact with any of his codefendants.
Gubarik’s bail was set at $75,000 due to the assault allegations in his case.
“I find that he’s a threat to community safety,” Judge James Lawler said of Gubarik on Monday.
Arraignment hearings are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 3.
