PORT ANGELES — A November trial date has been set for a Sequim man who allegedly threatened and tried to hit four children in a church parking lot, and also allegedly assaulted and threatened sheriff deputies and eluded them in a pursuit in mid-September.
Judge Lauren Erickson on Sept. 29 set 59-year-old John Fitzgerald Barcellos’ four-day trial to begin on Nov. 6, in Clallam County Superior Court, with a status hearing at 9 a.m. Oct. 20.
Public defense attorney Harry Gasnick, filling in for John Hayden, said Barcellos has been advised of the charges and pleaded not guilty for Barcellos, who appeared via video from Clallam County jail.
Gasnick said there is sizeable discovery in Barcellos’ case with five discs of video and a “significant amount of evidence to go through.”
Barcellos remained in the Clallam County jail Friday on $50,000 bail.
He was charged Sept. 20 with 10 felonies: four counts of harassment with threats to kill; three counts of assault in the second degree with a deadly weapon; assault in the third degree of a law enforcement officer; attempt to elude with a special allegation of endangerment, and harassment with threats against a criminal justice participant.
Barcellos faces five to 10 years in prison and/or $10,000-$20,000 in fines for each felony.
Barcellos on the evening of Sept. 16 allegedly made threats with a hatchet and attempted with his car to hit four children playing in the Sequim Seventh-day Adventist Church parking lot.
Deputy Dylan Heck reported that the children said Barcellos’ vehicle came within inches of them while driving at high speeds, and they either hid on a stairwell or behind a light pole, according to court documents.
Deputies later made contact with Barcellos, told him he was under arrest multiple times, but he refused and said he intended to drive away, according to Heck.
Deputy Harold Edwards attempted to access Barcellos’ passenger door, but Barcellos drove off and intentionally hit Edwards’ vehicle, Edwards reported.
Barcellos attempted to flee north on Sequim-Dungeness Way traveling at about 60 miles per hour and he struck the Woodcock Road roundabout and crashed, court documents state.
Heck reported Barcellos made threats against him and his family during transport to jail, too.
Barcellos was also originally booked in jail for charges of second degree assault and hit-and-run, but those have not been filed against him in court, as Clallam County deputy prosecutor Matthew Roberson said he needs more information to make a charging decision.
Prior to the church parking lot incident, Barcellos allegedly struck a teen’s vehicle with his car around 4 p.m. after tailgating and speeding past it on two occasions on Old Olympic Highway.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
