Bail has been set at $100,000 for a Shelton man charged for allegedly attempting to strangle a Centralia Police Department K-9 after he allegedly stole a car and tried to break into a Chehalis business on Sunday.
Paul S. Bickle allegedly damaged the windows and doors of a business in the 600 block of North National Avenue in an attempt to break in just after 11:15 p.m. on March 28 and reportedly fled the scene, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in Lewis County Superior Court. The car he was driving had a broken window and was later learned to have been stolen from a local dealership earlier that day.
A Centralia police officer observed the suspect’s vehicle traveling 75 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone near Northeast Kresky Avenue and began a pursuit. The pursuit continued onto Salzer Valley Road, where the truck reportedly swerved around two large “road closed” barricades and drove into rough terrain before coming to a stop about 50 yards away, according to the affidavit. The driver reportedly fled the truck and the pursuing officer began a K-9 track. Bickle was apprehended approximately 10 minutes later, according to the affidavit, and when found, he reportedly “had wrapped a shirt around the neck of the K-9 in an apparent attempt to strangle the dog.”
Court documents do not specify which Centralia K-9 was involved or the extent of the dog’s injuries.
Bickle was taken into custody and was officially booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 8:30 a.m. on March 29. He faces one count each of theft of a motor vehicle, second-degree attempted burglary, second- and third-degree malicious mischief, attempting to elude a police vehicle and harming a police or accelerant detection dog or police horse. The most serious charge, theft of a motor vehicle, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines. All other charges (except third-degree malicious mischief, which is a gross misdemeanor) are Class C felonies, which carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
During Bickle’s preliminary hearing later that day, Judge James W. Lawler set Bickle’s bail at $100,000 cash or bond, citing concerns about Bickle’s prior criminal history and community safety.
Bickle has 12 prior felony convictions on record — the majority of which are out of Kitsap County. His most recent Lewis County conviction occurred in 2012.
Bickle’s next scheduled court appearance is an arraignment hearing on April 1.
