Man sentenced to jail time, mental health treatment in Olympia assault

A 32-year-old Olympia man was sentenced to jail time and mental health treatment Wednesday after he pleaded guilty in a 2014 theft case and a March assault case.

Sol N. Grover appeared in Thurston County Superior Court for sentencing before Judge Mary Sue Wilson. In September, he pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree retail theft and one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer in the theft case, and pleaded guilty to three counts of fourth-degree assault in the assault case.

He was sentenced to 364 days in custody in all four cases, but was given credit for the time he already spent in jail and in treatment. In addition, 343 days of the sentence were suspended for 24 months, meaning Grover won’t serve that portion of the sentence unless he violates the terms of the sentence.

Court documents give the following account of Grover’s arrest in the assault case:

An Olympia police officer responded to the downtown Olympia Les Schwab at 210 State Ave. at about 11 a.m. March 31 after receiving reports of an assault. The officer immediately recognized the suspect as Grover because officers had already interacted with him three times that day.

The officer ordered Grover to lie on the ground, but he ignored the command. As the officer approached, Grover balled up his fists, tensed his muscles and pulled away as the officer grabbed him. He then swung at the officer, making slight contact with his cheek.

Officers were eventually able to arrest Grover and place him in a patrol car.

They then spoke to the female victim, who said she was behind the Les Schwab building when Grover approached her and asked if she wanted a smoke. She said no, and he threw a lighter at her. The woman felt uncomfortable and walked to her car, which was parked in the Les Schwab parking lot.

A Les Schwab employee said he saw Grover harassing the woman and walked over to intervene. Grover punched him in the face, then grabbed the woman’s vest. Other Les Schwab employees were able to separate them before police arrived.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Man sentenced to jail time, mental health treatment in Olympia assault."