Dayton Man Faces Many Years

DAYTON -- Eric Van- Zandt, a 28-year-old Dayton man who was arraigned in Columbia County Superior Court last Thursday on 12 felony charges including theft of firearms and residential burglary, could be sent to prison for many years if convicted of these crimes.

VanZandt was arrested on a warrant from Walla Walla County after a neighbor reported a fight at VanZandt's residence at 1531 S. Second St. in Dayton just before 4 a.m. on Jan. 29.

According to the certification of probable cause, "three males were near her (witness') house, pushing and fighting with each other."

When deputies Don Foley and Joe Helm arrived at the scene, they found VanZandt and another male who had a bloody nose and "stated he had fallen while fishing earlier in the day." The two men denied they had been fighting.

But VanZandt was found to have an outstanding warrant in Walla Walla County and was transported to Walla Walla County Jail.

At 5:15 a.m., St. Mary's Medical Center reported to law enforcement officials that the man with the bloody nose had arrived at the hospital with a stab wound to his torso that was about 4 inches deep and 1 to 2 inches wide. According to the hospital staff members, the wound was inflicted about 90 to 120 minutes before his arrival, putting the time at 3 to 3:30 that morning.

The man, who was reportedly intoxicated at the time of the alleged fight, told law enforcement officials last week that he stabbed himself, according to Columbia County Prosecutor Rea Culwell.

The day of the incident, Columbia County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Henzel responded to a report of a burglary in the 1400 block of S. Second St., within an easy walk of VanZandt's residence after the homeowner reported several items were missing from his shop. Those items included two .22 caliber rifles, about 50 hunting and folding knives, two video recorders, a spotting scope, range finder, pellet rifle and a .50-caliber muzzle loader rifle.

Henzel applied for a search warrant to check VanZandt's trailer for the knife he could have used in a stabbing. Henzel discovered several of the items reported missing from the burglary and he stopped his search and asked for a telephonic amendment of the warrant to include them.

As a result of the discovery, VanZandt was charged with second-degree bur- glary, three counts of firstdegree unlawful possession of a firearm (VanZandt is already a convicted felon), three counts of theft of a firearm, three counts of possession of a stolen firearm and second-degree possession of stolen property.

The charges include 10 Class B felonies, which carry a maximum of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine each in the state of Washington, and two Class C felonies, which each carry a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine.

Culwell said bail for VanZandt has been set at $75,000. He is expected to enter a plea at a hearing on Thursday, Feb. 16.

VanZandt, who has prior convictions in Walla Walla County going back to 1998, was previously convicted of domestic violence assault. There is a fourth-degree assault charge pending against him in Columbia County and he has been convicted of a felony in Oregon, Culwell said.