A 49-year-old transient man is accused of damaging a vehicle and carving a pentagram into its hood on July 22 in Chehalis.
Seth Sorrow Blackwolf, whose last known address was in Bellingham, is facing charges of second-degree malicious mischief, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and first-degree criminal trespassing, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 264 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
In the early morning of July 22, around 2:50 a.m., a caller in the 1500 block of Southwest Thomsen Avenue reported that a homeless male was “beating the sh-t” out of a neighbor’s vehicle.
An officer with the Chehalis Police Department responded a short time later.
“When he arrived, he observed a Black 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Scratched into the hood of the vehicle was a pentagram,” according to the probable cause affidavit filed by prosecutors in Lewis County Superior Court. “Also on the hood were handprints where the suspect had been drawing different things with the dirt and dust on the hood.”
A roommate of the victim showed the officer video showing the man, later identified as Blackwolf, damaging the vehicle.
“Upon further inspection, the officer discovered a gash in the paint on the door handle on the passenger side of the vehicle,” court documents state. “It looked as though someone had tried to gain access to the vehicle, which was locked.”
Neighbors reported seeing the man “smashing up” the front of the vehicle before entering a nearby garage.
“When contacted by the sheriff's deputies, the suspect had taken his clothes off and threw them around the street,” court documents state. “The suspect was identified from his (Department of Licensing) photo as Seth Sorrow Blackwolf. Blackwolf was speaking gibberish, so (the officer) didn't ask him any questions. (The officer) researched the cost of repairing the damaged vehicle. Repainting the vehicle would cost between $1,500 and $5,000.”
Blackwolf has no ties to Lewis County, according to prosecutors, who noted his last known address was in Bellingham.
He has two prior convictions for indecent exposure in Cheney Municipal Court, but both were dismissed due to “possible mental health reasons.”
On Tuesday, Blackwolf was reportedly uncooperative with Lewis County Jail staff and refused to make his appearance in Lewis County Superior Court.
“There may be some mental health issues here,” said Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer before he asked for a mental evaluation for Blackwolf.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge J. Andrew Toynbee found there to be a basis for Blackwolf to be evaluated at Western State Hospital.
He’s next scheduled to appear in Lewis County Superior Court for a Review hearing on Aug. 14.
