Man accused of stabbing deputy near Yelm to face attempted first-degree murder charge
A man accused of stabbing a Thurston County sheriff deputy in the neck last weekend is facing attempted murder and rape charges.
Andrea Moore, the 35-year-old wounded deputy, has been released from Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.
On Friday, she responded to a call from a Yelm home where she confronted an unwanted man who deputies identified as a 42-year-old convicted sex offender. During the encounter, Moore was stabbed and she fired her weapon, injuring the man.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office revealed the deputy’s name on Wednesday after she had already returned to her home.
“Moore has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home surrounded by friends and family,” a Sheriff’s Office news release read. “Deputy Moore has demonstrated her tremendous fighting spirit and determination.”
A helicopter transported the suspect to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. On Tuesday, the Thurston County prosecuting attorney filed three charges against him: attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment with sexual motivation.
The man, who had been labeled a high-risk sex offender, is accused of attempting to murder Moore and attempting to rape a person inside the Yelm home.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price found probable cause for the three crimes on Wednesday. Price also signed a warrant for the suspect’s arrest and set no bail.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into the Yelm incident as part of the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team.
A probable cause statement gives the following account of law enforcement’s investigation into the incident on Friday.
Moore responded to a call requesting the removal of an unwanted man on Holly Street Southeast in Yelm at 8 p.m. Friday.
Shortly after arriving, Moore reported she had been stabbed and shots were fired. Another deputy arrived soon after. He found a man on the ground and Moore calling for help, according to the statement.
The deputy placed the man in handcuffs and observed a large knife within the man’s reach, the statement read. He moved the knife away from the man and then tended to Moore who appeared to be bleeding significantly from her neck.
Medical aid transported Moore to St. Peter Hospital where doctors confirmed she suffered a stab wound that struck her thyroid gland, according to the statement. The suspect, meanwhile, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds, the statement read.
A Mason County deputy investigated the incident as part of the Region 3 CII Team. The deputy interviewed an elderly woman who lived in the trailer home Moore had responded to, according to the statement.
The woman told investigators the man knocked on her door. She let him in after recognizing him as a man who had dated her roommate years prior, the statement read.
After talking for a few minutes, the man allegedly pulled out a knife and said he intended to rape her, according to the statement.
A friend of the woman stopped by to check on her but left when the woman hinted something was wrong, the statement read. The friend called police which brought Moore to the scene.
The elderly woman responded to the door when Moore arrived, according to the statement. Moore asked if she was okay, the woman told investigators, and she signaled no.
The man allegedly then stepped out from behind the woman and lunged at Moore, the statement read. The woman told investigators she fell to the ground and did not see the stabbing but heard screams and two gunshots.
The woman said she then rushed inside her home and locked the door until medical units had removed Moore and the alleged attacker from the scene, according to the statement.
The Olympian does not name suspects before they appear in court. However, the suspect has a significant criminal history.
In 1995, the suspect was convicted of assault and rape in Pierce County Superior Court. In that case, the court found he forced his way into a stranger’s home at gunpoint, tied up a woman and sexually assaulted her.
The woman escaped to a neighbor’s home after being choked by a chord, the News Tribune previously reported. In addition to the previous rape conviction, he also has two prior felony convictions for failing to register as a sex offender in 2014 and 2016.
The News Tribune previously reported the man cut off his GPS tracker and went into hiding after being released in 2018. His tracker was found in a garbage bin and he was arrested five days later in Enumclaw.
At the time of the Yelm incident, the man had a felony warrant for escaping community custody and failing to register as a sex offender in Tacoma, the News Tribune previously reported.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 1:35 PM.
