PORT ANGELES — A plea agreement is in the works for a Sequim man charged with assaulting a Clallam County sheriff’s deputy last month.
Matthew K. McDaniel, 27, is charged with third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer for allegedly shoving Deputy Mark Millet after McDaniel was awakened in his car at Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim shortly before midnight Feb. 3.
Defense attorney Loren Oakley told Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer on Friday that he had not yet received the pending plea offer from Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg.
Rohrer scheduled another status hearing for 1:30 p.m. this Friday to discuss the possible plea offer.
A trial is set for April 1.
McDaniel mistakenly was released from the Clallam County jail shortly after his arrest and turned himself in when he found out about the error.
He is now being held in the Clallam County jail on $10,000 bond.
McDaniel allegedly shoved and shouted obscenities at the deputy, who ended the confrontation by deploying his stun gun on McDaniel.
Class C felony
McDaniel had a permit for the loaded .40-caliber pistol that was found inside his vehicle.
Third-degree assault is a Class C felony.
Troberg requested $20,000 bail at McDaniel’s first court appearance Feb. 7 because of allegations that McDaniel made a “threat to the officer and a threat to himself” after his arrest.
“When he was transported to the jail, he said something to the officer to the effect that if he could access his gun, he would kill himself,” Troberg said.
McDaniel interjected: “Your honor, that’s not true.”
McDaniel asked to be released on his personal recognizance, noting that he had a place to stay until his trial.
‘Not a violent person’
“I am not a violent person,” McDaniel told Rohrer.
“I have no priors. I turned myself in when I found out I had a warrant.
“If you, for some reason, decided to release me today despite all of the allegations that have been made against me, I would be back here on April 1 for trial.
He added: “I am not a criminal.”
Rohrer said the court addressed the bail issue twice and has “significantly reduced” the bail amount.
“I’m not going to release you at this point on your personal recognizance,” Rohrer told McDaniel.
“Trial is right around the corner. If for some reason it’s delayed, I’m sure Mr. Oakley will bring this up again, and we will address it then.”
McDaniel, who said he has had no access to court documents, asked how much time he would serve if found guilty of the charge.
Oakley said the range would be one to three months.
Allegations of ‘concern’
Rohrer said the reason he couldn’t release McDaniel is because the allegations are “of the type that cause the court some concern.”
“You don’t seem like a bad person or anything to me, but the charges are what they are,” Rohrer said.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
