A 44-year old California man was arrested Tuesday after breaking in to the Tumwater City Hall, which also serves as the city’s police station. At least one officer was working inside when he broke in.
According to the police report, it was just after 10:00 pm on Tuesday, April 20th when officers advised that the fire alarm had activated inside the police station at 555 Israel Rd SW. They requested the fire department respond to check the alarm.
Officers checked for signs of obvious fire, and didn’t find anything. When they went to meet firefighters at the front door, they noticed a window had been popped out of the door frame.
Firefighters were escorted by a police officer as they attempted to find the source of the fire alarm. They went into one room and observed a male sitting on the floor. The officer held the man at gunpoint and requested additional units.
The suspect complied with the officers’ commands and he was taken into custody. They cleared the rest of City Hall and found no additional suspects. They found an additional window had been busted out with a large rock. The male suspect had cuts that were treated by the fire department.
The 44-year old suspect appeared to have arrived to City Hall in a semi truck with an empty trailer, and had left it running in the parking lot. The truck was impounded. The suspect’s home address is in northern California.
The suspect was not eligible for booking in the county jail due to COVID restrictions, but officers requested an exception on the basis of the suspect living in California and not being in a clear mental state. The exception was granted and he was booked into TCSO jail on Burglary 2nd Degree and Malicious Mischief 2nd Degree charges.
The suspect made his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon where his bail was set at $5,000. His arraignment was set for May 4th.
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