A man was charged in Lewis County Superior Court Wednesday, June 25, with a number of charges including burglary after being reported to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office by a former partner.
Bryant Raoul Elliott was arrested at the scene of a burglary on Monday, June 23, before being booked into the Lewis County Jail. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Lewis County Superior Court, Elliott had an active warrant from the Washington state Department of Corrections at the time of his arrest and has had 23 prior warrants.
Elliott was charged with one count of unlawful residential burglary, a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine, as well as theft in the third degree and knowingly possessing a controlled substance, which are both gross misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in county jail or a fine of up to $5,000.
Elliott was also charged with a community custody violation, a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine, for a separate offense after failing to report to the Washington state Department of Corrections in May. After probation officer tried and failed to contact Elliott, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was later arrested by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office in California.
During the preliminary hearing June 25, Elliott received two bail amounts, with Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager agreeing to the amounts requested by the state. Bail for the burglary and accompanying charges was set at $50,000 and the bail for the community custody violation charge was set at $25,000. She also imposed the state's request of a no-contact order between Elliott and his former partner, who reported the burglary, citing a history of domestic violence.
“Mr. Elliott presents a significant risk to flight not only given his warrant history to include multiple active warrants, but also the fact that he is alleged to have escaped from community custody, not checked in with DOC and based on his actions over the last couple of days and his refusal to come to court,” Yeager said. “I don't have a lot of confidence that if released he would come to court. He also has a significant history that the court would have concerns about community safety.”
During his most recent arrest, Elliott was apprehended by a Lewis County Sheriff's Office deputy who responded to the report of a house burglary. According to court documents, the deputy saw Elliott through the open door of the house when he arrived before Elliott closed the door.
The deputy then entered the house and apprehended Elliott, finding him in possession of a knife and a pipe. According to the report, Elliott was wearing one of the homeowner’s shirts and had eaten the residents food, drank their alcohol and smoked marijuana in the house.
Prior to the most recent arrest, Elliott was serving a sentence in community custody after being convicted late last year for selling or distributing methamphetamine, a class C felony. Previous reporting by The Chronicle suggests he was attempting to sell the controlled substance to patients at a substance rehabilitation center in Centralia.
