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After a week of failed attempts to hold a preliminary hearing for a man facing assault and kidnapping charges for allegedly assaulting a woman and trying to force her into a vehicle near railroad tracks in Chehalis on Feb. 8, James Harry Hart, 51, of Chehalis, has had his day in court.
Hart was booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 4:07 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, and was charged Monday, Feb. 24, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of second-degree assault, domestic violence; second-degree attempted kidnapping, domestic violence; fourth-degree assault, domestic violence; and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
Hart refused to appear virtually in court from the jail for his preliminary hearing at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, due to illness.
The hearing was rescheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, but he again refused to appear, citing illness.
He also refused to appear for a third attempt to hold the hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Hart did finally agree to appear for a preliminary hearing held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, where he was quickly found in contempt of court for swearing at and repeatedly yelling over Judge Paul Strophy.
During the hearing, Hart also repeatedly attempted to leave the room within the Lewis County Jail where he was being held for the virtual court hearing. He was stopped by corrections deputies at the jail.
Stophy ruled Thursday to charge Hart with contempt of court and hold Hart at the Lewis County Jail without bail until the contempt case is resolved.
Strophy also ruled to set Hart’s bail at $100,000 for the assault case, finding that there was community safety risk and that Hart had demonstrated his unwillingness to follow court orders.
Hart will not be allowed to be released on bail for the assault case until after the no-bail hold on the contempt case is lifted.
Hart’s arrest came after more than 100 Railfan viewers witnessed the assault through the Railfan camera’s livestream of the tracks near the Lewis County Historical Museum at approximately 4:17 p.m. on Feb. 8, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
The footage, which was provided to the Chehalis Police Department, shows a male subject, who has since allegedly been identified as Hart, trying to put a possibly injured female into a white vehicle at the intersection of Northwest State Avenue and Northwest Prindle Street, according to call logs from the Chehalis Police Department.
An officer who reviewed the Railfan camera footage noted that the victim could be seen walking away from the passenger side door of a white vehicle before the vehicle “begins to follow and lurches towards her,” according to court documents. The male subject, who the officer “identified as James Harry Hart based on the officer’s previous contacts with him,” is then seen exiting the vehicle and walking towards the victim.
The video footage reportedly shows the victim trying to get away from Hart as Hart grabs her. She is reportedly seen falling to the ground during the struggle, at which point Hart allegedly “dragged/pulled (the victim) by her hair toward the vehicle and attempted to push her inside,” according to court documents.
The footage reportedly shows the victim get away from Hart and start walking away before Hart is seen getting into the vehicle and driving off from view of the camera, according to court documents.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, March 6.
