A Mossyrock man is facing a felony charge in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly trapping his elderly father inside his residence so he didn’t “wander off.”
Lance R. Swofford, 45, is accused of using a tie-down ratchet strap to secure the handle of a door to a fifth-wheel trailer in the 410 block of Young Road on July 7.
An Adult Protective Services worker noticed the strap when she arrived at the residence and noted the strap “was tied such that the door could not be opened” from either the inside or the outside, according to court documents. She noted that there were no other entrances to the trailer.
It took the Adult Protective Services worker “several minutes” to unfasten the strap, after which she called the police.
A deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office spoke to the trailer’s 82-year-old occupant, saying that his son, Swofford, “sometimes locks him in so he doesn’t w(a)nder off and get lost,” according to court documents.
The man reportedly told the deputy “he was doing fine,” adding that he does not have access to a phone but saying Swofford “brings him food and water.”
The deputy noted the 82-year-old “appeared lucid and responsive” and “was able to easily converse with the deputy.”
Swofford returned to the trailer while the deputy was there and allegedly confirmed that he “locks (his father) sometimes so he doesn’t w(a)nder off.”
Swofford was charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment, a class C felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, in August. He was issued a summons notice for a Sept. 27 preliminary hearing, which he was present for.
While all parties agreed Tuesday to allow Swofford to remain out of custody on $10,000 unsecured bail, there was some disagreement over whether to allow Swofford to maintain contact with his father while the case is ongoing.
Swofford, represented by defense attorney Rachael Tiller, said he was his father’s primary caretaker and asked to maintain contact with his father so long as they don’t discuss the case.
“The concern here is that based on the allegations here, you could be in a position to not have contact with him for the rest of his life,” Judge J. Andrew Toynbee told Swofford during his preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Toynbee expressed concerns about Swofford interfering with contact between the victim and the prosecutor’s office, since Swofford handles the victim’s phone calls.
“His condition is bad,” said Swofford, citing medical records he had brought with him to court. “He does not have the capacity to make good decisions for himself,” he told the court, citing the medical records.
Given that Swofford is his father’s primary caretaker and there were no other options immediately available for care, Toynbee allowed Swofford to maintain contact with his father on the condition that Swofford not prevent his father from having contact with others related to this case, including the prosecutor’s office and Adult Protective Services. Any indication that Swofford interfered with his father’s communications will affect Swofford’s conditions of release, Toynbee said.
