Man Arrested, Charged for Throwing Rocks at Cars

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A Centralia man was charged this week for allegedly throwing fist-sized rocks at passing cars, then for kicking out a police car’s window.

Jonathan Solis Cuevas, 28, of Centralia, was charged Tuesday in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of second- and third-degree malicious mischief.

Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher asked Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt to impose $10,000 bail in light of the nature of the charges.

Hunt imposed $3,000 unsecured bail, but said he was puzzled by the case.

“There’s nothing that makes sense about this case,” Hunt said, other than his own suspicion that the suspect might have been under the influence of some substance during the incident.

Meagher said he had no information about whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident.

Solis-Cuevas has little criminal history, other than a DUI arrest reduced to a negligent driving charge from 2012, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Solis-Cuevas was arrested at 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia after police received a report that a man was throwing rocks at vehicles.

Officers first responded to the 1200 block of Belmont Avenue, but changed direction after dispatch reported that a witness saw the suspect driving away from the Centralia Factory Outlets.

The witness reported that the suspect was driving a gray Volkswagen with a bicycle rack, according to court documents.

As the officer was trying to catch up with the suspect, dispatch reported that the witness saw the suspect “reloading” with rocks in a parking lot, and was throwing rocks at passing vehicles through his vehicle’s sunroof, according to court documents.

When the officer arrived at the parking lot in question, in the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue, he reportedly saw the suspect, later identified as Solis-Cuevas, parked facing the street. The officer approached the suspect, who began recording the encounter on his cell phone.

The officer reported seeing a pile of “hand-sized rocks” next to him in the car, according to court documents, with one large rock in his lap.

Solis-Cuevas was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license, after the officer checked his ID, and was placed in the back of a patrol car.

As the officer was taking statements from witnesses, Solis-Cuevas then allegedly kicked out the passenger side window of the patrol car. The officer was cut from the broken glass, according to court documents.

One witness reported that her windshield was badly damaged by a rock Solis-Cuevas allegedly threw. The first witness reported that he saw the incident, according to court documents.