Christopher M. Bosarge makes his first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday on suspicion of making a bomb threat last month to the Lewis County Superior Court.
Superior Court Judge Joely O'Rourke imposed $500,000 bail Monday for a man accused of making a bomb threat against the Lewis County Prosecutor's Office.
Christopher M. Bosarge makes his first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday on suspicion of making a bomb threat last month to the Lewis County Superior Court.
A Lakewood man has been accused of making a bomb threat Dec. 18 in an effort to derail a criminal investigation of which he was the target, specifically to halt an ongoing interview between an alleged co-conspirator and the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, according to court documents.
Christopher M. Bosarge, 22, was charged in Lewis County Superior Court with six felony charges: threats to bomb or injure property; tampering with a witness, domestic violence; and four counts of intimidating a public servant.
Bosarge made his first appearance on the charges Monday afternoon after being arrested Friday on a $500,000 warrant issued on Dec. 30.
Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer asked Superior Court Judge Joely O’Rourke to maintain that bail amount pending future hearings in the case.
O’Rourke granted that request, saying she was concerned by Bosarge’s criminal history, which includes convictions for first-degree robbery, burglary, and drug charges, as well as by the allegations.
“It caused a lot of alarm and panic for a lot of people,” she said, of the bomb threat.
According to court documents, at about 10:20 a.m. on Dec. 18, a staff member in the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, located in the Lewis County Law and Justice Center, answered a phone call from a person, later identified as Bosarge, who said “there was a bomb in the building scheduled to go off in 30 minutes.”
The building was evacuated. The Washington State Patrol bomb squad and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded and cleared the building. No explosive was found.
At the time the call came in, investigators with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and Prosecutor’s Office were interviewing a woman who had recently pleaded guilty in a case in which Bosarge was also charged. Part of her plea agreement required her to testify against him on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and theft.
Investigators later learned that before going into her interview with investigators and her attorney, the woman called Bosarge and left the phone call open during the interview, allowing him to listen in. However, when she made statements to investigators that he didn’t agree with, Bosarge began to “freak out,” according to court documents.
He allegedly used a friend’s phone to call in the bomb threat.
“He did that to interrupt and intimidate the process,” Meyer said.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller, representing Bosarge for his initial appearance, gave a different perspective.
“He meant no wrongdoing. He meant no harm,” she said.
In future hearings, the state will be represented by the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office, Meyer said, due to his office having an inherent conflict in the case. Superior Court Judges Andrew Toynbee and James Lawler have also recused themselves, O’Rourke said.
Bosarge’s next court hearing is scheduled for Thursday. A judge from Pacific County will preside over that hearing.
