Sambath Loeung makes his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday via video call.
The fourth suspect of an Ethel home-invasion robbery in February, who allegedly escaped the scene before police arrived, was arrested on a warrant and made his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday.
Sambath Loeung, 42, of Kent was charged with first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree robbery and second-degree theft.
Loeung is a co-defendant with Charles G. Holmes, 54, of Winlock and sisters Angela M. Rothschiller, 33, of Snohomish and Michelle L. Rothschiller, 38, of Marysville, who also face the same charges as Loeung.
Loeung was arrested on a warrant in Des Moines, Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said.
According to the probable cause statement, on February 16, Lewis County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in Ethel for an open-line 911 call where dispatch could hear a man shouting, “Where’s those drugs? Wanna get shot? This is the last chance. Are the drugs worth your life?”
When the deputies arrived they contacted two women, the Rothschiller sisters, sitting in a parked car outside. According to the statement, Angela and Michelle Rothschiller were allegedly in the car with a radio picking up police’ dispatch communications and relaying info to Holmes and Loeung inside the house.
While a deputy spoke with Angela and Michelle Rothschiller, he heard a physical altercation occurring inside the house, according to the statement. When the deputy was about 10 feet away from the residence, a man in a black ski mask, Holmes, stumbled out of the door and was quickly arrested, according to the statement.
Police also arrested the Rothschillers after Holmes was detained, according to the statement.
Inside the home, the alleged victims told police that a man in a black ski mask, Holmes, was wielding an assault rifle, making threats and zip tied the male victim while a smaller man ransacked the residence for drugs.
Through interviews, police were able to learn that the second suspect inside the house was Loeung, according to the report, but he fled the scene with the female victim’s purse containing $500, her bank card, cell phone and the male victim’s bank card.
At Loeung’s preliminary appearance on Friday, Halstead requested that the original bail of $500,000 from Loeung’s warrant be increased to $750,000
“I have information that Mr. Loeung has been in contact with one of the co-defendants who is still in the Lewis County Jail, he has known this warrant has been active since we charged it … and has failed to turn himself in,” Halstead said.
Loeung’s attorney for the day, Rachael Tiller, asked for her client’s bail to be modified down to $100,000.
Judge James Lawler left the bail as it was at $500,000.
In March, Angela Rothschiller pleaded guilty to all four charges and has a pre-sentencing hearing scheduled for July 9. Michelle Rothschiller, who pleaded not guilty, is scheduled to go to trial on September 14 and Holmes, who requested to defend himself in March but then withdrew that request, is scheduled for his next hearing on June 18.
Loeung’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for May 28.
