PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man whose apartment was searched by a State Patrol bomb squad faces trials in July and August.
No bomb was found in Joshua Scott Curry’s apartment.
Curry, 32, pleaded not guilty Friday to burglary and illegal weapons charges.
He is charged in one case with first-degree burglary and unlawful carrying or handling of a weapon apparently capable of producing bodily harm.
He is charged in a second case with possession of an unlawful firearm and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Christopher Melly scheduled a July 18 trial for the case on possession of an unlawful firearm and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon.
A trial for the case on burglary and unlawful carrying of a weapon was set for Aug. 1.
A status hearing for both cases is set July 1.
Two cases
Curry is accused of brandishing a pistol in a domestic dispute June 1 and possessing illegal weapons June 3.
He allegedly threatened to shoot police in a “suicide by cop,” according to the affidavit for probable cause.
Port Angeles police allege that Curry saw a woman he knew having dinner with a neighbor June 1 and entered the residence with a gun.
The woman told police that Curry had threatened to barricade himself in his apartment with armor and tactical gear before “going out in a ‘blaze of glory’ shoot-out with the police,” Officer Mike Johnson wrote in an arrest report.
Police searched Curry’s apartment at 1019 W. 18th St. on June 3 and found a homemade wiring setup, a pistol, training grenade and a homemade radio detonator that could be used for an improvised explosive device, court papers said.
A State Patrol bomb squad found bomb components, a short-barrel rifle and a converted machine gun. No bomb was found.
Curry is being held in the Clallam County jail on $80,000 bail.
Defense attorney Stan Myers requested a lower bail for his client or a release on electronic home monitoring.
“Although the facts of this case are concerning, the court is only getting one version of the events,” Myers said.
“My client is obviously denying most of the allegations. He is a gun enthusiast. That in and of itself does not make him a violent person, and he has no prior violent history.”
‘Strenuously’ opposed
Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney April King said she “strenuously” opposed the request for public safety concerns .
The neighbor who was having dinner with the woman was “so worried for his safety that he spent the night at Olympic Medical Center, where he works,” King said.
“He didn’t even feel safe in his own home with Mr. Curry out there,” King said.
King argued that a $40,000 bail for both cases was reasonable.
Melly agreed.
“Collectively, the court has concerns about the collection of materials that Mr. Curry had,” Melly said.
“I think that the bail that was previously set by the court is reasonable. I’m going to keep it where it is.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
