A Vader man accused of threatening to kill his wife with a shotgun — prompting her to shoot him in the cheek with a handgun — in May has been arrested on a $250,000 warrant.
Craig Alan Kenemore, 55, allegedly threatened his wife, identified in court documents as Tamara Miller, repeatedly on the night of May 16 leading up to the shooting in the early morning hours of May 17.
Miller faces no criminal charges related to the incident as of Thursday.
Kenemore was reportedly drinking during a get-together with friends the night of May 16 and started arguing with Miller before turning on a friend who was staying at their residence. During the argument, Kenemore reportedly threatened to beat up the friend and to burn down the shop they were in and the house, all while “shaking his fist in her face,” prompting the friend to leave. Miller also left the residence due to Kenemore’s behavior, according to court documents.
The friend reported the argument to a second friend, who went over to the house and noted “Kenemore was drunk and angry,” according to court documents. Kenemore calmed down over the course of an hour, but the friend “described it as an ‘angry calm.’”
Miller returned home about the same time the second friend left the couple’s residence, according to court documents.
She reportedly “sat in her vehicle in the driveway before eventually deciding to go into the house” and had contemplated packing a bag and leaving the residence, but decided to try and go into a bedroom separate from Kenemore’s.
When she went inside, Miller discovered Kenemore had “put a desk chair in front of her door and placed a case of water bottles on it because her door does not lock,” according to court documents.
Soon after, Kenemore reportedly pushed open the bedroom door and began yelling about where Miller had parked her car, prompting Miller to give him her keys. He then left the bedroom “but was yelling about burning the house down,” according to court documents.
He later allegedly told Miller to “put her running shoes on,” which Miller said was “a threat towards her that had been made on prior occasions, meaning he was going to burn the house down.”
At some point during the exchange, Miller retrieved her handgun, she later told law enforcement.
Later, after the couple talked for about half an hour on the porch, Kenemore allegedly kicked Miller’s foot and asked “are those your running shoes?” then “told her he was going to kill her himself.” Miller reportedly told Kenemore “she was done with the conversation,” at which point Kenemore allegedly walked inside and grabbed the shotgun that was sitting inside the door.
Kenemore allegedly pushed Miller with the barrel of the shotgun, told her “he was going to make her watch while he killed her dog” then, as the dog started barking at Kenemore, he started chasing the dog around the kitchen island, according to court documents.
Kenemore then allegedly turned toward Miller with the shotgun and said “you better run.”
At this point, Miller said she took out her handgun “as she believed Kenemore was going to kill her.”
The two were standing about 6 feet apart, facing each other.
She reported firing her gun once then immediately calling 911.
Dispatch logged the call time as 4:15 a.m. on May 17.
The shot knocked Kenemore to the ground but “he was still moving around,” according to Miller’s report to law enforcement. She moved the shotgun away from Kenemore and tried to provide aid while on the phone with dispatch, according to court documents.
A deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office arrived 10 minutes after the initial 911 call, at approximately 4:25 a.m.
The responding deputy reported hearing “a female voice yell for him to come into the residence” and when he did, he observed Miller kneeling down beside a man, later identified as Kenemore, on the floor. The deputy told Miller to hang up the phone and walk outside. She complied and reportedly stated, “I shot him. It was self defense.”
The deputy noted Kenemore had “a hole in his right cheek and a large split lower lip” and later observed Kenemore had a wound in his upper back/shoulder area, according to court documents.
Emergency personnel removed Kenemore from the residence and he was airlifted to a hospital in Vancouver for medical treatment.
Hospital staff later confirmed Kenemore was shot in the cheek, with the bullet traveling into his mouth and exiting out his back.
Kenemore was in intensive care at Peace Health Northwest Medical Center through at least June 4 and was discharged sometime between June 5 and July 19, according to court documents.
Kenemore reportedly provided a written statement to law enforcement while he was in the hospital, but there was “limited communication” as Kenemore was unable to speak at the time.
After that June 4 contact, law enforcement reported Kenemore did not respond to any requests to contact him.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office charged Kenemore with one count each of second-degree assault and harassment, threat to kill, in August. Both charges carry domestic violence and firearm enhancements.
A Lewis County Superior Court judge issued a $250,000 warrant for Kenemore’s arrest around that same time.
At approximately 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Kenemore was reportedly contacted by a police officer about the warrant and turned himself in to the Lewis County Jail, according to defense attorney Rachael Tiller.
She reported that Kenemore had been staying with a friend since his release from the hospital.
Lewis County Jail records indicate Kenemore was booked at 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday.
Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson asked a judge to maintain that $250,000 warrant amount as Kenemore’s bail, citing the severity of the allegations.
“I think those are very serious allegations. This is a very serious event, and substantial bail is warranted,” he said during Kenemore’s preliminary appearance hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.
“We’re asking the court to please consider (bail) reduction,” Tiller said on Wednesday, citing the lack of violent history on Kenemore’s criminal record, his financial situation and his injury.
“He says he’s been bedridden for 20 hours a day.”
Judge J. Andrew Toynbee opted to maintain the $250,000 bail set in the warrant.
“I am concerned for community safety and there is a likelihood that he will seek to interfere with the administration of justice based on the facts of this case,” he said Wednesday.
Toynbee also granted Jackson’s request for a no-contact order protecting Miller for the duration of the case.
Kenemore’s next scheduled court appearance is an arraignment hearing set for Thursday, Oct. 6.
