A Centralia man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly hiding a firearm following the reported shooting between two men in a Centralia residential area on March 10.
Police say he hid the gun inside a couch, only to lie about it in his initial statements.
James R. Shogreen, 58, faces one count each of tampering with physical evidence and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Both are considered gross misdemeanors punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
Shogreen made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, where he was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
He is scheduled to appear for an arraignment on April 2.
Shogreen has no felony convictions, according to court documents.
The two men accused of shooting at each other, Phillip D. Forbes, 44, of Centralia, and Jonathan T. Maae, 29, of Tumwater, were previously charged with single counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Forbes faces an additional count of drive-by shooting. Both men face up to life in prison for the assault charge.
A probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office notes that Centralia police discovered a firearm inside Shogreen’s residence after the alleged incident.
“When initially contacted, Shogreen denied any knowledge of shots being fired,” the affidavit states. “Shogreen initially stated that he had been playing video games, got up to go to the bathroom, and when he returned, he discovered a firearm in his couch's center console.”
According to the affidavit, police challenged Shogreen’s statements, which reportedly went against another witness statement indicating Shogreen had been outside during the shooting.
Shogreen also allegedly denied seeing Maae, and maintained that no one else from his residence had observed the incident.
“Shogreen would later admit that Maae had provided him with a firearm after a shooting, which he hid inside the center console of a couch inside his residence,” the affidavit states.
Police allege Shogreen made this admission after he learned that officers intended to apply for a search warrant. Shogreen had also been “confronted with statements from other people inside the residence at the time of the shooting,” according to the affidavit.
On March 24, investigators reportedly met with Shogreen again regarding his original statement.
According to police, Shogreen said the firearm was actually a BB gun modified to shoot bullets.
When attempting to get Shogreen to identify another potential witness to the shooting, the defendant allegedly “insisted that this person stayed inside his residence and would not have seen anything until after the shooting,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators reportedly determined that Shogreen had repeatedly contradicted other independent witnesses, as well as surveillance footage, leading them to believe he was intentionally trying to prevent evidence from being obtained.
According to police, officers first responded to an alley in the 900 block of South Pearl Street at about 6:56 p.m. March 10 after receiving reports of two subjects shooting pistols at each other.
Police arrested Forbes and Maae later that night following an investigation that included a blood trail, a key witness tip and the use of less-lethal oleoresin capsicum (OC) rounds.
Officers reportedly fired a OC round into the van Maae was suspected of hiding inside. They then found Maae running along a small nearby path with an AR-15 rifle.
Maae allegedly refused to comply with orders to put his hands up, which led officers to unsuccessfully deploy a taser.
Maae was ultimately arrested with the assistance of other officers and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital to treat a gunshot wound to his arm.
Officers reportedly located Forbes thanks to a witness tip from an employee at the Main Street Grill who had reported a suspicious vehicle that matched the suspect’s car.
