.png.jpg)
Fidel Hernandez Isidro had a problem. He believed someone had pictures of his wife on their phone. That someone was a man from his hometown in Mexico.
Mexico was a long way from Western Washington. But the two men happened to live only miles apart in the local Centralia area.
Hernandez Isidro began to see a solution.
On Oct. 10, Hernandez Isidro paid a visit to that man’s residence in Centralia. He entered the man’s bedroom uninvited. He demanded to see the man’s phone.
Then he hit the man in the head with a semi-automatic pistol. He struck him in the ribs, stomach and chest. And he wasn’t finished, at least with threats. So he pointed his gun at the man.
That’s when the man grabbed the gun. A struggle ensued, moving from the bedroom into another room, until roommates alerted Hernandez Isidro that they had called police.
Now Hernandez Isidro had a much bigger problem. Police. So he fled in his car.
A Centralia police officer arrived at the scene a short time later. He, too, had a problem — all of the witnesses spoke Spanish. He didn’t.
Luckily, he knew someone across the street who could help interpret for him. Through that interpreter, the officer learned from the alleged victim and witnesses what had happened. He then checked the Flock camera system and came to believe Hernandez Isidro had returned to his home in Grand Mound.
This created another problem: jurisdiction. Grand Mound is in Thurston County. So the officer requested aid from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
The deputies obliged. They found Hernandez Isidro at his place. Eventually, they found a gun with a loaded magazine but no round in the chamber. They found blood on the gun.
They learned the gun was stolen out of Pierce County back in 2011.
Hernandez Isidro had many problems now, the greatest of which was his arrest and subsequent booking into the Lewis County Jail with a bail amount of $1.75 million.
The above allegations — and for now, that’s all they are — were adapted from a probable cause statement outlining the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office’s justification to charge Hernandez Isidro of six felonies. Those felonies include first-degree burglary, possession of a stolen firearm, two counts of second-degree assault, alien possession of a firearm and felony harassment.
Hernandez Isidro faces up to life in prison if convicted of the burglary charge. That charge and the assault charges are considered strike offenses.
He made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Oct. 13 to determine conditions of his release.
During the hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Brandi Archer asked the court to maintain the bail amount set over the weekend, citing the firearm that raised concerns for community safety. Archer also said the defendant had no ties to the community and that the state was concerned he would not appear for future court dates and might commit future violent offenses.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller, on the other hand, said that Hernandez Isidro resided locally with family and had been employed with the same company for years. She noted that Hernandez Isidro has no criminal history in Washington.
Judge Paul Strophy acknowledged Hernandez Isidro’s lack of known criminal history but echoed the state’s concerns for community safety. He also referred to information that stated Hernandez Isidro had previously been deported.
According to court documents, the 36-year-old Hernandez Isidro was deported in 2019. He is considered a Mexican citizen.
Strophy set bail at $1 million cash or bond, along with conditions of release that include no contact with the alleged victim or witnesses in the case and an order for Hernandez Isidro to surrender any firearms in his possession or control.
An arraignment is set for Oct. 16, with Chris Baum assigned to represent Hernandez Isidro.
