A 32-year-old Hoquiam man remains in custody after being charged with first-degree arson, residential burglary and violation of a no-contact order at a Hoquiam residence Feb. 23.
Joshua Paul Lewis, 32, was arraigned in Grays Harbor County Superior Court Monday morning and pleaded not guilty, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jason Walker.
According to court documents, Hoquiam Police officers responded to a call shortly after 10 a.m. Feb. 23 that Lewis was seen at the back of an address in the 400 block of 11th Street. When officers arrived, Lewis told officers he was aware there was a no-contact order in place that stated he must not be within 100 feet of the home, according to a statement from Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers.
“Lewis claimed he had permission to remove some of his belongings from the residence,” read the police report filed in Grays Harbor County Superior Court Feb. 24. Lewis said he had taken a television from the residence. “The no-contact order was confirmed and Lewis was taken into custody on the order violation,” read the report.
The report states officers “could smell a strong odor of gasoline coming from inside the residence.” An officer noticed some burn marks in the laundry room above the electrical panel. The fire department was called to the scene.
A window to the laundry room was broken out, near the side door where Lewis had entered, read the report. A plastic cap was located on the kitchen counter near the sink, which appeared to belong to a lawnmower outside the back of the residence, “which happened to be missing the gas cap,” read the police report.
After being advised his rights, Lewis told officers he had entered through the back door and noticed, while he was removing the television, smoke coming from the electrical panel. He said he went outside to get the hose, and broke the window out so he could spray water through the window to put the fire out.
An officer noted the inside of the laundry room was not wet, and that broken glass from the window was laying on top of the hose.
While being processed at the Hoquiam City Jail, officers detected the strong odor of gasoline coming from Lewis’ clothes, which were seized as evidence, according to the report.
Lewis is charged with first-degree arson, residential burglary — both felonies — and violation of a no-contact order-domestic violence. Bail was set at $75,000.
The investigation is ongoing, but Myers said shortly after the arrest that an electrician trained in fire investigation confirmed the burn marks above the breaker “were not as a result of an electrical failure or fire.”
Lewis was appointed an attorney and is scheduled for a jury trial April 21.
