By Cathy Logg
Herald Writer
EVERETT — The Arlington man accused of trying to hire someone to kill his former wife and her family is facing new, unrelated charges that he broke into an Arlington home and wrote harassing messages in black marker.
Mitchell Lee Varnell, 40, remained in lockup Wednesday under $2.5 million bail on the solicitation for murder charges, and $50,000 cash bail set by Snohomish County Superior Court Judge James Allendoerfer on the burglary charge.
He pleaded innocent Wednesday to all charges.
Varnell was first charged Tuesday with trying to hire a man to kill his former wife, her parents and brother. Prosecutors say Varnell’s ex-wife learned of his intentions and notified police, and Varnell unknowingly met with a plainclothes sheriff’s detective posing as a hit man.
Deputy prosecutor Mark Roe asked the court to maintain the high bail set earlier this week. He said he doesn’t want to see Varnell manage to post bail.
"Our understanding is the defendant has quite a bit of cash. I think it he gets out, people are at risk. I think he’s serious," Roe said after the hearing.
The burglary charge accuses Varnell of breaking into an Arlington couple’s home on Dec. 1 and writing harassing messages with a large black marker.
According to an affidavit filed with the charge, a message on the refrigerator read, "Don’t want anymore problems, do we?" Another on the kitchen table referred to the woman of the house looking pretty in bed, and suggested that the next time she’d be gagged and sexually assaulted.
Varnell had been involved in a legal dispute over money with the woman’s husband, deputy prosecutor John Adcock said. The man had received numerous angry faxes from Varnell.
Varnell’s ex-wife identified the writing as Varnell’s and told police he had done similar things in the past and had told her that people who owed him money deserved that kind of justice.
The affidavit also detailed an instance in May 1999 in which Varnell allegedly took out his anger over a falling out with his foreman by damaging the man’s Ford pickup by slashing all four tires, cutting wires under the hood into small sections, punching the radiator, cutting the brake lines, crushing the distributor cap, removing the fan belt and draining the oil.
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437
or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
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