A Centralia man is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail for allegedly holding a sleeping child at gunpoint and threatening to rape the child’s mother early Friday morning.
The defendant, whose name is being withheld by The Chronicle to protect the identity of the victim, is accused of threatening to shoot the child if the woman “didn’t take her clothes off so he could rape her,” according to court documents.
The defendant then allegedly held the woman at gunpoint. She was able to dial 911, at which point the defendant fled the scene.
The Centralia Police Department was dispatched to the incident just before 1:10 a.m. and were notified that the defendant had left. They were initially unable to locate him, but the defendant reportedly called police officers requesting a meeting, where he was placed under arrest.
He has denied the allegations, according to the Centralia Police Department.
While he recognized that the defendant had no significant criminal history, Judge J. Andrew Toynbee said he was concerned by the severity of the allegations and the alleged involvement of a firearm, and granted the deputy prosecutor’s request for the high bail amount.
Toynbee also issued protection orders for both victims.
The defendant’s next scheduled court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Oct. 14.
