By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Centralia man robbed over the weekend of marijuana he offered on Craigslist to “qualifying medical patients” tells police a story of grabbing the pistol that was used to strike him in the face as he sat in the backseat of the suspects’ car.
He said he fought them both to escape, jumping out of the car and landing in a puddle on East Van Buren Street, in a south Centralia residential neighborhood, according to charging documents.
Joshua Z. Smith, 28, told police he produced his own handgun from a shoulder holster and, because he feared the suspects would shoot at him, fired approximately four rounds striking the back of the vehicle before it sped away, according to charging documents.
Two teenage suspects from Tacoma went before a judge yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court. The pair were arrested later on Saturday for the robbery after a trooper followed their car into a Ross store parking lot in Lacey.
Their vehicle reportedly had several bullet holes in the right rear quarter panel.
Nobody was shot and police recovered four or five shell casings from the scene of Saturday’s events.
It’s not legal to sell marijuana under the newly enacted recreational use law, nor is it legal to sell it under the existing medical marijuana laws.
Centralia police this weekend weren’t focused on the sale, or exchange, of the drug, but on the armed robbery. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Kjell Warner who is handling the case said he didn’t have any information about whether Smith is facing any potential charges.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do with him at this point,” Warner said yesterday afternoon.
The teens, who are apparently cousins, are both students in the Tacoma area.
Yahdriel E. Jones, 18, is enrolled at Tacoma Community College, where is earning his GED, defense attorney Bob Schroeter told the judge as he argued for lower bail yesterday afternoon.
Howard E. Ross 19, is in his fourth quarter at Clover Park Technical School, Schroeter said.
Ross has two prior convictions for first-degree robbery, from 2009 when he was a teenager, according to Warner.
“He paid his debt to society in 2009,” Schroeter told the judge. “He made a mistake, a terrible mistake.”
Judge James Lawler increased Ross’s bail from $150,000 as it was set over the weekend to $500,000 at the prosecutor’s request. Bail was set at $300,000 for Jones.
The two young men are each charged with first-degree robbery, along with a special allegation they were armed with a firearm.
Ross’s mother was in court yesterday, prepared to sign the unsecured bond Schroeter requested.
Charging documents and police offer other details as follows:
Smith said he placed the ad online on Craigslist that he had “extra quality meds” up for donation. He listed the price at $125 per ounce.
Two males drove down from Tacoma to buy the marijuana from him and parked their white Hyundai Elantra on the street in front of his house.
He got in their car.
“The two suspects asked Smith how much weed he had, and Smith showed them what he brought out,” Warner writes. “The front seat passenger produced a large semi-automatic pistol and told Smith to give him all the weed.”
Smith hesitated.
That’s when he was hit in the face with the end of the gun.
Warner said police searched the car and recovered the weed, the gun and the cell phone the suspects allegedly took from Smith.
Centralia Police Department detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald didn’t have any information on Saturday if Smith was a qualified medical marijuana user or someone’s designated provider.
Arraignments for Jones and Ross will take place on Thursday.