PORT ANGELES — A 65-year-old Port Angeles man is facing sabotage and malicious mischief charges for allegedly putting glue on several ATM machines over Labor Day weekend, Port Angeles police said.
Charles Alan Johnson was arrested Wednesday and released from the Clallam County jail on his personal recognizance Thursday.
Judge Christopher Melly said he found sufficient facts that Johnson might have committed sabotage and four counts of second-degree malicious mischief.
The Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will consider filing formal charges at Johnson’s next court appearance at 1 p.m. Monday.
City police said Johnson applied superglue to the face of several ATM machines over the weekend, rendering them inoperable and causing several thousand dollars’ worth of damage.
Officer Jeff Thaxton said the damage caused inconvenience to those who were then unable to access their funds for several days.
“Officers further discovered that superglue had been applied to the front door locks of numerous businesses in the downtown and commercial corridor, and several bank windows had been broken,” Thaxton said in a Thursday news release.
Officers Kyle Cooper, Swift Sanchez and Thaxton investigated various reported incidents. They interviewed witnesses and obtained video surveillance footage and photos from businesses.
Police identified Johnson as a suspect with the help of Clallam County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputies, Thaxton said.
Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney April King requested a $5,000 bail for Johnson based on concerns that Johnson would not appear in court or comply with his condition of release.
Johnson had been on state Department of Corrections supervision for a 2017 identity theft conviction prior to his arrest, King said.
He also had a warrant history and six prior convictions for violating protection orders, King added.
“The state also points out that this apparently pointless series of offenses significantly interrupted banking operations, putting ATMs out of service for a time over a holiday weekend when customers would obviously need access to their funds and were denied that over the weekend,” King told Melly.
Defense attorney Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender said his client is a longtime community resident who is on a waiting list for Peninsula Behavioral Health-sanctioned housing.
Gasnick said Johnson is a “reliable individual” when he is on his medication.
“When he’s not, he’s difficult,” Gasnick said. “It’s that simple.”
In addition to standard conditions of release, Melly ordered Johnson to stay away from property belonging to Kitsap Bank, US Bank, Strait View Credit Union and Wells Fargo Bank, all of which were affected by the alleged crimes.
“What about my bank?” Johnson asked.
“Chase isn’t on that list,” Gasnick said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Thaxton at 360-452-4545.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
