Suspect officially charged in Centralia armed robbery

A Centralia man faces six felony charges after he allegedly threatened to kill a group of people with a machete less than 48 hours after an armed robbery attempt.

According to police, Clinton G. Duncan, 51, wielded a yellow PepperBall launcher in both incidents. Centralia police booked him into the Lewis County Jail at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Duncan made his first preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday to face two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of felony harassment and one count of unlawful display of a weapon, a gross misdemeanor.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson said Duncan had also been booked for the separate robbery case. Defense attorney Rachael Tiller said charges had not been filed.

Judge Joely Yeager set bail at $100,000 cash or bond, in agreement with Jackson’s request.

On Tuesday, Duncan made his second preliminary appearance, this time charged with one count each of first-degree attempted robbery and first-degree burglary.

Both charges are considered Class A felonies punishable by up to life in prison.

Yeager set an additional bail of $100,000 cash or bond, again agreeing with Jackson’s request.

Duncan is scheduled for an arraignment on Thursday. Public defender Chris Baum has been assigned to represent him in both cases.

According to a probable cause affidavit, police responded to the reported harassment near the corner of North Tower Avenue and East Main Street at about 1:47 a.m. Sunday. They found Duncan hiding in a bush with a machete and a PepperBall launcher tucked in his waistband.

An officer spoke with two of the alleged victims, who said they’d been standing at the corner when an unknown man yelled at them and asked if they wanted to fight.

The victims said the group told the man to “chill out.” The man allegedly crossed the street and revealed a machete, saying, "I'll cut your head off."

As one of the victims called 911, the man allegedly pointed what looked to be a yellow gun at two men in the group and threatened to shoot them.

According to the affidavit, the two men “did not want to identify themselves” to police.

Duncan’s arrest led to a break in the investigation of an attempted robbery that had occurred at  the Pearl Street Grocery and Deli at about 5 a.m. on Sept. 25.

According to a Monday news release from the Centralia Police Department, investigators “immediately recognized” the PepperBall launcher found on Duncan, as the weapon had been used during the attempted robbery.

Police found that Duncan’s appearance, stature and clothing style were similar to those of the suspect captured on the store’s security footage. Witnesses had also described a suspect consistent with Duncan’s appearance.

Detectives executed a search warrant at Duncan's residence and reportedly found clothing and accessories believed to have been worn by the robbery suspect.

On Monday, detectives obtained further security footage allegedly showing Duncan walking through an adjacent property after the failed robbery attempt.

According to the news release, the convenience store employee had refused to give the masked suspect a “money bag,” even after he repeatedly pointed the weapon at the employee and “forcibly directed” her behind the counter.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed in the robbery case, the woman told police the man “seemed familiar” but was unable to identify him. She said the gun “appeared fake.”

The suspect ultimately fled without any money or stolen items. A police K9 attempted to track the suspect’s path, but lost the trail.

According to prosecutors, Duncan has no criminal history in Washington state. He does, however, have criminal history in California, North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana and Oregon.

That history reportedly includes a number of offenses including assault, theft, and receiving stolen property.