Vandalism at Capitol building, Yelm shooting, county budget cuts: June 4 roundup

Thurston County news June 4 included vandalism at Washington’s state Capitol building, a sheriff’s deputy who shot a man near Yelm, and the county’s plan to soften a looming budget crisis.

Here are key takeaways:

• A 21-year-old man allegedly threw rocks at the Legislative Building around 1:15 a.m. Thursday, causing roughly $100,000 in damage to 13 window sets and two doors before fleeing in a white 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. He allegedly drove over a pedestrian bridge connecting Marathon and Heritage parks.
• A Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot a man just after 9 a.m. Thursday while responding to a trailer fire on 149th Lane Southeast, southeast of Yelm. Sheriff Derek Sanders said the man produced a firearm and charged the deputy. The man was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds but is expected to survive.
• Thurston County faces a projected $22.3 million general fund deficit for 2027, which County Manager Leonard Hernandez warned would be “catastrophic” if absorbed in a single year. To soften the blow, staff proposed spreading cuts across three years.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.