PORT TOWNSEND — Four Port Townsend men accused of kidnapping and torturing a fellow resident have pleaded not guilty to their charges.
Zachary James Barbee, 44, Giuseppe D. Glanz, 20, Robert John Cuevas, 19, and Isaiah William Peoples-Morse, 18, have been arraigned on charges of first-degree kidnapping with deliberate cruelty, first-degree assault with deliberate cruelty and first-degree robbery with deliberate cruelty filed by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Anna Phillips.
Barbee, Glanz and Peoples-Morse were arraigned Friday. Cuevas elected to be arraigned Tuesday and entered a not-guilty plea then. All four remained in jail Friday on $100,000 bail.
As Class A felonies, each is punishable by up to life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine, Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper has said.
Harper also signed harassment no-contact orders for Barbee, Glanz and Peoples-Morse, forbidding them to have contact with their alleged victim, Dennis Shaw. Cuevas was in court Friday for Harper to sign a no-contact order for him, but the matter was stricken due to missing documents.
All four have the same future court dates of April 23 at 8:30 a.m. for an omnibus hearing, May 14 at 8:30 a.m. for pretrial hearing and May 24 at 9 a.m. as the start of the jury trial.
Glanz attempted to have his bail reduced Friday, however Harper denied the motion, as the “allegations are absolutely horrific,” he said.
Shaw was found injured Nov. 10 along Anderson Lake Road. He told deputies then he had been kidnapped, beaten and then dumped, but he refused to provide names because be said he had been threatened with death by the four, according to the probable cause report by Detective Jon Stuart of the Port Townsend Police Department.
Last week, Shaw came forward to name the four as his attackers.
Shaw said that on Nov. 10, he left a residence in the 500 block of Hendricks Street early in the morning and returned about mid-morning to be confronted and assaulted by the four, who accused him of “stealing items from them,” Stuart’s report said.
The four allegedly trapped and beat Shaw for several hours in the house, hitting him with fists and clubs. They debated killing him, according to Stuart’s report.
During the altercation, Shaw reportedly was shot with a BB or airsoft gun 15-20 times, Stuart said.
Barbee allegedly shot Shaw in the right eye, and that caused him to lose 75 percent of his vision, Shaw told Stuart. He said he now is able to see only light through it.
Shaw also was burned by cigarettes. He said Peoples-Morse put Suboxone strips into his mouth, Stuart’s report said.
Glanz also reportedly pointed an assault rifle at Shaw before putting it down and using the airsoft gun, according to the report.
Eventually the victim was forced to change clothes and lie down in the back of a pickup, Stuart’s report said. He was driven about 8.5 miles from the residence and dumped on or near Anderson Lake Road, where he was found by a person who called 9-1-1.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
