The (Centralia) Chronicle
A Centralia man is being held in the Lewis County Jail on $500,000 bail after police say he threatened to kill three officers who were attempting to arrest him.
Maalgeney R. Denetclaw, 43 — who was convicted of murder in Arizona — allegedly held the door to a crawl space shut, prompting officers to deploy multiple rounds of pepper spray and a Taser before he could be taken into custody.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Wednesday, police responded to a report that Denetclaw was breaking items inside a house. When they got there, they found Denetclaw in a crawl space after hearing him cough.
“The defendant indicated that police would have to kill him and that he wanted the police to kill him,” court documents read.
Denetclaw allegedly held the door shut to keep the three responding officers out, prompting the officers to use pepper spray multiple times. He allegedly told the officers: “If you come in here, I’m going to f****** kill you.”
Denetclaw eventually was arrested after additional pepper spray and a Taser deployment. While at the jail, he allegedly asked jail staff to take his handcuffs off so he could “knock out” one of the officers who took him to the jail.
He was charged with four counts of harassment of a criminal justice participant performing official duties and one count of escape from community custody stemming from an active Department of Corrections warrant.
During a hearing in Lewis County Superior Court, Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer requested Denetclaw be held on $500,000 bail, referencing his Arizona murder conviction and other violent offenses. Denetclaw was recently released from the DOC on similar allegations that he threatened officers, Meyer said.
Public defense counsel reserved Denetclaw’s right to argue for bail at a later date.
Judge James Lawler imposed the $500,000 bail, and set an arraignment hearing for Sept. 5.
In May 2018, Denetclaw was charged with harassment of a criminal justice participant, intimidating a public servant and two counts of fourth-degree assault after allegedly threatening a coach at a Little League baseball game. The coach happened to be a Department of Corrections Officer who had indirect supervisory authority over Denetclaw. He was accused of pushing two people and threatening a Centralia police officer.
He was convicted later that year and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
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