PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man accused in Friday’s hours-long standoff at a mobile home park is expected to have formal charges filed against him today.
Bail was set at $100,000 for Charles V. Smith, 72, during his first court appearance Monday before Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart.
Smith remained in the Clallam County jail on Tuesday for investigation of one count of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence. He has requested a public defender.
Port Angeles Police Sgt. Brian Keegan, one of the negotiators during the standoff at a home at the park at U.S. Highway 101 near Monroe Road, testified that although law enforcement engaged in eight hours of negotiations, Smith surrendered only after pepper balls and pepper spray were deployed.
Deputies had been called to the 2000 block of East U.S. Highway 101 at about 2:30 p.m. Friday after a woman reported that her husband physically assaulted her and then pointed a firearm at her face in the residence they shared. She was able to flee the dwelling uninjured after deputies arrived.
Smith was arrested at about 10:30 p.m.
When deputies arrived, Smith said he would protect himself from them with his firearm, Keegan testified.
Keegan said Smith told deputies, “I’m going to start firing. I’m going to shoot. I’m going to check the perimeter. I’m going to find a better place to fire from.”
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Roberson requested $100,000 bail and a no-contact order with his wife.
He said he wasn’t concerned about Smith being a flight risk but rather about the potential for another violent crime against not only his wife but also law enforcement and interference with justice.
Roberson said that Smith’s wife had told police her husband had a history of domestic violence and this simply was the latest incident.
It had escalated with little or no cause and, instead of coming out peacefully, Smith chose to barricade himself, blocked the windows to prevent observation and a breach and threatened to take out the first deputy who came through the door, Roberson said.
Barnhart said Smith was not a flight risk, but it was a volatile and extremely dangerous arrest situation for not only law enforcement but also neighbors.
“I acknowledge that these are only allegations, but there was a factual basis for his arrest,” Barnhart said.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.