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A Centralia man arrested Saturday after allegedly threatening a state Department of Corrections officer, a police officer and assaulting two people at a Little League game is being held on $500,000 bail pending future court hearings.
Maalgeney R. Denetclaw, 42, of Centralia, was charged Tuesday in Lewis County Superior Court with harassment of a criminal justice participant performing their duties, a class C felony; intimidating a public servant, a class B felony; and two counts fourth-degree assault, gross misdemeanors.
He made his first appearance Monday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court, where Judge James Lawler ordered him held for another day under his existing conditions of release — which did not include a possibility of bail — while prosecutors considered charges.
Denetclaw was under DOC supervision for an unrelated conviction at the time of his arrest, according to court documents.
On Tuesday, Lewis County deputy prosecutor Paul Masiello asked Lawler to impose $500,000 bail for the newly filed charges.
“That’s due in large part to his criminal history,” Masiello said. “Also concerning is that murder charge.”
According to a statement on probable cause from the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, Denetclaw has two convictions for fourth-degree assault and one for malicious mischief from 2017, as well as a second-degree assault conviction from 2016 in Washington.
“Out of state convictions include simple assault, unlawful imprisonment, terrorizing, domestic assaults and murder, among others,” according to the report. “The state believes the defendant poses a risk to community safety and is a risk to reoffend and to fail to appear.”
Denetclaw’s murder conviction dates to the early 2000s, Masiello said Tuesday.
Lawler imposed the bail amount after Denetclaw reportedly asked defense attorney Rachael Tiller not to argue the bail amount. Attorney David Arcuri was appointed to represent Denetclaw at future hearings.
According to the Centralia Police Department, officers responded at 5:39 p.m. Saturday to a Little League field in the 2000 block of Borst Avenue after receiving a report that Denetclaw walked onto the baseball field during a game and threatened one of the coaches.
According to court documents, Denetclaw walked onto the field and threatened to assault the coach, identified as a state Department of Corrections officer who had indirect supervisory authority over Denetclaw.
Masiello said Tuesday the DOC officer was the supervisor of the officer Denetclaw reported to as part of his probation.
“It is believed the defendant knew the DOC officer was, in fact, a DOC officer, and as a result, threatened that, if the DOC officer contacts the police, he would be assaulted,” according to court documents.
Denetclaw also allegedly pushed a woman as she was trying to leave the area, threatened to assault a Centralia police officer and pushed another man.
“Several nearby spectators (helped) subdue Denetclaw until police arrived on scene and took custody of him,” according to a news release from the police department.
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