Transient Man Arrested After Allegedly Setting Fire at Building

A transient man was in Lewis County Superior Court Monday evening for his preliminary appearance after he allegedly attempted to light a building on fire early that morning.

Nathaniel I. Witt, 34, was charged with first-degree arson.

According to the probable cause statement, on June 29 Chehalis Police officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Southeast Washington Avenue just after midnight for a suspicious person complaint in which a male, later identified as Witt, was reportedly screaming and threatening to burn down a building.

While officers were en route, a second report came in stating Witt had poured gasoline on the front porch and had lit it on fire.

Once officers had arrived, they were told Witt had left the scene and was believed to be walking toward a nearby business. A resident was able to extinguish the fire, according to the statement.

Officers also confirmed gas had been poured on the porch and observed blankets that appeared to have been intended to be a wick which led from the porch to the house, according to the statement.

Officers went to the business where they found Witt walking in the parking lot.

“I exited my vehicle and called out ‘Nathan’ to which the male said that it was not his name and his name was something similar to ‘Devil Child,’” an officer wrote in the statement.

Police confronted Witt, who was wielding a fixed blade knife in his right hand and a pry bar in his left, according to the statement, and asked him to stop.

Witt reportedly replied ‘no’ and asked the officer, who did have his firearm out, to shoot him, according to the statement.

The officer was able to talk with Witt and get him to drop the knife and pry bar, at which point he was taken into custody.

In court on Monday, Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher requested that bail be set at $100,000, citing an “extreme” threat to community safety and a criminal history that includes a third-degree assault conviction in 2018 and a few other felony convictions that were over a decade old.

Witt’s attorney for the day, Rachael Tiller, asked on behalf of her client that he not be released, rather he be transported to a mental health facility.

“Mr. Witt gave me permission to inform the court that he does hear voices, it sounds like they are getting worse, and he also needs help with his medication,” Tiller said.

Superior Court Judge James Lawler set bail at $100,000 but asked Tiller to notify Witt’s court-appointed attorney about his request for transportation to a mental health facility so that an order could be worked on to fulfil his need of services.

Lawler scheduled Witt’s arraignment hearing for July 2.