EVERETT — An Everett man with a history of making bomb threats was released from jail Monday after being sentenced for threatening to bomb an Everett car dealership.
On Monday, Michael Harsh pleaded guilty to first-degree malicious mischief and harassment. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Appel sentenced Harsh, 45, to three months in the Snohomish County Jail. Harsh was given credit for time served.
Harsh also received a suspended sentence of one year for the harassment charge. He was given two years probation.
On April 8, customers and employees at the Mazda of Everett on Highway 99 reported Harsh walked onto the parking lot of the dealership, threatened to kill people, damaged cars and made bomb threats, court documents said.
The owner of the dealership reported Harsh “kicked the living daylights” out of a 2023 Mazda Miata, as well as other cars.
According to the charges, Harsh asked a dealership employee, “Do you want to (expletive) die?” Harsh also said it was easy to wire a bomb and explode the front of the dealership. He took out pepper spray and kicked other cars.
After police arrested Harsh and put him inside a police vehicle, Harsh yelled “let me die,” and said he “(expletive) up so bad” and “can’t stop,” according to the charges.
Harsh had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After being admitted to the hospital for evaluation, Harsh reported he was experiencing mania and was “not behaving spectacular” while in jail, according to court records.
In a mental health evaluation submitted to the court, psychologist Angela Sailey determined he was competent to stand trial.
Sailey found “no evidence to indicate Mr. Harsh presents an imminent risk of danger to self and others.”
In 2022, Harsh walked into an Evergreen girls basketball game with an air pistol and backpack, according to court records. Nearby parents tackled him, and he claimed to have a bomb and threatened to kill people in the gym. He was sentenced to nine months in jail.
At his sentencing in that case, his public defender, Rachel Ryon, told the judge “this is not going to be a situation that happens again.”
Since 1998, Harsh had been convicted of eight misdemeanors. In 2008, he was convicted of felony harassment for threatening to kill employees at an Evergreen Way blood donation site. He spent less than two months in jail.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @snocojon.
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