Judge sets bail for man accused of hedgehog ruse, Tumwater parking lot shooting
.JPG "Thurston County has pushed back the 2020 first half property tax deadline to June 1.")
A judge set bail at $250,000 on Thursday for a man accused of shooting at his ex-girlfriend in a Tumwater parking lot on Sunday.
Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax set the bail amount for Levi Steven Ramirez, 34, citing concerns he may interfere with the case or commit a violent crime.
Tumwater police arrested Ramirez on Wednesday at home in the 3900 block of Balsam Avenue after a standoff with a Thurston County SWAT team and hostage negotiators, The Olympian previously reported.
Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of first-degree assault while armed with a firearm, first-degree attempted kidnapping, drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Police also arrested Quentin Wesley Deuel, 27, at the same residence on Wednesday. He was accused of first-degree rendering criminal assistance.
Judge John Skinder ordered Deuel be released on his personal recognizance on Friday, a day after Kortokrax found probable cause for his alleged crime. However, Skinner also ordered Deuel have no contact with Ramirez or the alleged victims.
Prosecutors allege Ramirez lured his ex-girlfriend to the parking lot of the Lincoln Creek Lumber store on 93rd Avenue Southwest under the pretense he would return her pet hedgehog.
But instead of a hedgehog in the backseat, the woman found Deuel. Once the ruse was exposed, Ramirez allegedly attempted to kidnap her at gunpoint, according to a probable cause statement.
When she didn’t comply, the statement says he fired his gun at her and a friend of hers while they attempted to escape in a vehicle. No one was hurt in the incident, but at least two cars were damaged.
A probable cause statement for Deuel reveals more details about the Sunday incident and the Wednesday arrest.
Tumwater police followed a lead to Ramirez’s location on Wednesday. Once they arrived at the Balsam Avenue home, the statement says police spoke to some residents at the property.
One person told police they did not know anything about the shooting, per the statement, but said Ramirez and Levi were staying at the home for about two weeks.
The person reportedly asked Ramirez and Deuel about the shooting. In response, Deuel allegedly said he threw the gun out of the vehicle as they drove down 93rd Avenue and it hit a metal object, producing a loud sound.
After police arrested Ramirez and Deuel with help from the SWAT Team, Deuel reportedly agreed to talk to a detective.
Deuel allegedly told the detective he was sleeping in the car when Ramirez met his ex-girlfriend. He also denied throwing the gun out the window and helping Ramirez conceal his car, according to the statement.
The statement says Deuel provided inconsistent information during his initial interview. In a later interview, he reportedly told the detective Ramirez “placed him in fear for his life.”
Law enforcement later found a gun matching the description of the one used in the Sunday incident on 93rd Avenue by a chain-link fence, per the statement.
Tumwater police are not looking for any other people in connection to the Sunday shooting, said Lt. Jen Kolb with the Tumwater Police Department.
Deuel is due back in court for his arraignment on Feb. 8. A trial confirmation hearing for Ramirez’s case has been scheduled for March 10.
