Bail set at $20,000 for man accused of pointing gun at civilians, deputy

A Thurston County judge set bail at $20,000 for a 37-year-old Thurston County man suspected of pointing a shotgun at two civilians and a Thurston County sheriff’s deputy.

Michael S. Tarr appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price on Friday, following his Thursday night arrest. Price found probable cause for two counts of second-degree assault against Tarr.

Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Graham said that a hollow-point slug was found in Tarr’s gun, and that the results would have been disastrous had Tarr fired the gun.

“He even admitted, at least to one of the deputies, that he did point a shotgun at one of their heads,” Graham said.

“In my opinion, Mr. Tarr is very lucky to be sitting next to (his attorney),” he added.

According to court documents, a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the 1200 block of Warner Street Northeast, near Lacey, at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday. Tarr had allegedly been seen chasing another man while carrying a shotgun.

When the deputy arrived, he saw Tarr calmly talking to a neighbor. He was barefoot, and the deputy reported that he appeared to be intoxicated. A shotgun was lying on the ground, according to court documents.

Based on a conversation with Tarr, the deputy deduced that someone had been on Tarr’s property trying to steal from him. Tarr said he had chased the man off the property, according to court documents.

The gun wasn’t loaded, and the deputy advised Tarr to stay inside for the rest of the day.

About two hours later, a man called 911 from the same location. The man said that he and his wife had been in their vehicle, waiting to purchase a lawnmower from one of Tarr’s neighbors, when Tarr allegedly came outside, racked his shotgun, and dared the man to come onto his property. The man said he and his wife decided to leave after Tarr pointed the gun at them, according to court documents.

Deputies responded to the home, and Tarr allegedly came out of his home holding the shotgun. A deputy ordered Tarr to put down the gun, and Tarr responded with expletives. According to court documents, Tarr allegedly pointed the gun at one of the deputies.

When one of the deputies drew a stun gun, Tarr put down the shotgun.

According to court documents, deputies found a 12-gauge hollow-point slug inside of the shotgun.

Deputies said Tarr told them that he lived in a bad neighborhood, and he was tired of “tweakers” stealing from him. He also said, “I guess if someone pointed a shotgun at my head, I would be angry too,” according to court documents.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Bail set at $20,000 for man accused of pointing gun at civilians, deputy."