A Centralia man faces felony charges after he allegedly sprayed a deputy with a garden hose.
According to prosecutors, the deputy was attempting to evict the 71-year-old from his property.
Michael Rajic is charged with one count of third-degree assault, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Rajic was released from custody on a $20,000 unsecured bond following a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
He is not allowed to have contact with the property while the case is pending.
During the hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson said that Rajic’s criminal history was limited, but noted a prior conviction for unlawful display of a firearm.
Rajic also has a related conviction for obstructing a law enforcement officer, according to court documents.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller said that Rajic did not have any previous felonies or failures to appear in court, and added that the “underlying allegation” was that Rajic assaulted an officer by spraying a garden hose.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Special Services Chief Gabriel Frase and a deputy arrived at Rajic’s home on April 17 to execute a writ of restitution, or court-ordered eviction.
The deputy had previously posted the eviction notice on April 7, which reportedly said the property had to be vacated before midnight on April 15.
Frase knocked on the front door and received no answer, despite seeing a truck registered to Rajic that was parked in the driveway behind a locked gate.
The deputies cut the lock and walked to the back of the home, where they saw Rajic “standing in the doorway of the back patio enclosure,” according to the affidavit.
Ragic allegedly ignored Frase’s request to talk, and “exited the doorway and ran south.”
“Chief Frase slowly ran behind Rajic telling him he could leave the property, and he was not allowed back at the property,” the affidavit says.
At that point, Rajic allegedly stopped, picked up a “pre-charged” garden hose and moved toward the deputies.
According to the affidavit, Frase told Rajic not to spray the hose.
Rajic did not comply. Instead, he allegedly sprayed the other deputy with the hose while he continued to move “aggressively” toward the deputy.
Unsure if Rajic was armed with a weapon, Frase deployed his Taser on the 71-year-old.
Rajic — and the hose — fell to the ground.
“The deputies were able to gain control of Rajic and place him into custody,” the affidavit says.
Rajic is scheduled for an arraignment on April 30.
