PORT ANGELES — Bail was set at $25,000 Tuesday for a Port Angeles man accused of threatening two men with a sledgehammer.
Edward Paul Horner, 61, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon for the Monday-morning incident at his Maloney Heights apartment building.
He is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Witnesses told police that Horner was “thrashing” the Serenity House of Clallam County building with the sledgehammer, Officer Eric Walker wrote in the affidavit for probable cause.
Horner allegedly used the tool to threaten one neighbor’s caretaker and another man who would not let Horner use his phone because it was out of battery.
“Horner had a sledgehammer in his hands, raised it toward (the alleged victim) and told him ‘I’m gonna break your f——— skull!” Walker wrote in the probable cause statement.
Video clips provided by Serenity House showed Horner “throwing things around and breaking things inside the building,” Walker said.
Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Roberson requested a $50,000 bail for Horner based on Horner’s criminal history, failure-to-appear history and community safety concerns.
Superior Court Judge Brent Basden set bail at half the requested amount, citing Horner’s limited financial resources.
“I do have some concerns about Mr. Horner’s willingness to appear,” Basden said.
“The court also has concerns about the history of assaultive behavior. It’s what brings us here again today.”
Horner’s criminal history includes past convictions for third-degree assault, two counts of fourth-degree assault, harassment and several counts of malicious mischief, Roberson said.
According to Superior Court records, Horner has been convicted with threatening neighbors with a putty knife and a frying pan.
Should he post bail, Horner would be required to provide an alternate address. He was ordered to stay at least 100 feet from Maloney Heights, a permanent supportive housing complex in West Port Angeles.
“I can’t go home if I was to be released?” Horner asked the judge.
“I can’t go to where my apartment is?”
“Not to Maloney Heights,” Basden said. “Not at this point.”
Basden also signed no-contact orders preventing Horner from communicating with the alleged victims.
During his preliminary appearance, Horner said he was assaulted by one of the alleged victims prior to his arrest.
“He threw a rock and a stick at me and said he was going to kill me with a rifle outside of the apartment house,” Horner said.
Defense attorney Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender advised Horner that the hearing was not the proper forum for making his case.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at [email protected].
