Bail set for blow torch-wielding Seattle man accused of burglarizing home near Capitol
A Seattle area man is being held in Thurston County jail in lieu of $25,000 after allegedly breaking into a home with a blow torch on Friday.
Couri Eugene Mann, 43, attended his preliminary appearance in Superior Court on Monday. Olympia police arrested him on Friday on suspicion of second-degree burglary while armed with a deadly weapon and felony harassment.
However, Court Commissioner Nate Kortokrax only found probable cause for first-degree burglary on Monday. In setting the bail amount, Kortokrax found the court could not be sure Mann would appear in court or would not commit another violent crime.
If released, Mann would be barred from possessing dangerous weapons or contacting the three individuals who lived at the home he allegedly burglarized.
Mann has previous convictions from King County and pending cases in Seattle and Lakewood Municipal Court, according to court documents.
He reportedly told pretrial services he recently came to Olympia from the Seattle area and has no phone, address or references, according to documents.
An affidavit of probable cause from the prosecution includes a police officer’s report on Mann’s arrest.
Police responded to a call about an alleged burglary on the 1600 block of Sylvester Street Southwest at about 9 p.m. Friday and searched the home, according to the report. Officers found the resident who called 911 locked in the bathroom, per the report.
The resident told police an unknown man confronted him with a blow torch as he got out of the shower, according to the report, and he said the man was still in the home.
One officer drew a .40-caliber “less lethal platform” and another had a “less lethal” shotgun as they searched the home, per the report.
They reported finding the man, later identified as Mann, in a room holding a yellow propane tank attached to a push button torch.
Mann complied with commands to get on the ground and police arrested him on the spot, according to the report.
After securing the area, the report says police interviewed the resident who was locked in the bathroom.
The resident told police he heard Mann knocking on the door and yelling that he was in Mann’s house. When he opened the door, the report says Mann allegedly started toward him with a lit blow torch.
The resident told police he slammed the door shut and called 911. He told police he had never seen Mann before.
Afterward, the report says the resident and his roommates discovered someone had rummaged through their rooms. They found a large camouflage Croc in one of the rooms that did not belong to them, per the report.
Mann refused to share his foot size with the police, but the report notes he was barefoot at the time of his arrest, according to the report. He also refused to share his shoe size at the county jail and opted to continue going barefoot, the report notes.
Police found Mann in possession of three watches, a smartphone and check stubs belonging to a resident of the home.
Mann is scheduled to appear in Superior Court again on June 29 for his arraignment.
This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 2:29 PM.
