SNOHOMISH — A middle-aged man armed himself with a baseball bat — and a pistol — to confront his roommates about stolen Beanie Babies, according to a police report.
The man, 54, of Snohomish, was arrested Wednesday morning at his home in the 2000 block of 161st Avenue NE. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail in Everett on Wednesday for investigation of two counts of second-degree assault and one count of domestic violence second-degree assault.
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, the suspect walked into his upstairs roommate’s room and woke him by allegedly striking him in the head with a baseball bat, police wrote. He also allegedly hit him on the hand. The suspect is also accused of pointing a pistol at the roommate and the roommate’s girlfriend.
Police described the man’s injuries as being consistent with a blow from a baseball bat.
Beanie Babies are a line of stuffed toys created by American businessman H. Ty Warner. The toys were created in 1993. What makes them unique is that they are stuffed with plastic pellets rather than conventional soft stuffing found in other stuffed toys. Beanie Babies come in many different forms. Most are animals.
The police report did not indicate whether any Beanie Babies were missing from the home, nor did it specify the names or forms of the toys.
Some rare Beanie Babies — such as Princess the Bear, Claude the Crab, Patti the Platypus and Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant — are valued at thousands of dollars, according to a 2019 Mental Floss story.
Family members of the suspect showed up to a virtual courtroom hearing Thursday and asked the judge to release the man on a promise to appear in court.
A man who identified himself as the suspect’s stepson pointed to his father-in-law’s lack of an extensive criminal history.
“He’s not ever been a violent person my entire life of knowing him,” the stepson said, adding that the roommates had moved out.
A woman who identified herself as the suspect’s fiancee also spoke.
“He was not at all the one who caused this,” she said. “He was an innocent bystander.”
The suspect’s defense attorney asked for the man to be released on a promise to appear in court. A deputy prosecutor asked for bail to be set at $10,000.
Everett District Court Judge Anthony Howard set bail at $5,000.
The judge addressed the suspect.
“I do have a police report here indicating that you’re currently upset that some Beanie Babies were stolen,” Howard said. “Allegedly you decided that justified taking a bat and a gun to the people you believed stole from you. This report establishes, if it’s true, that you intend to commit violence against these people.”
Ellen Dennis: 425-339-3486; edennis@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterellen
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