A Gig Harbor man who lives next to Goodman Middle School and had several rifles seized from his home pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he shot at two custodians leaving the school Tuesday night.
Douglas Stuart McRae, 59, was charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault. Bail was set at $200,000, and he was ordered to surrender all weapons, should he be released.
Pierce County sheriff’s deputies took eight guns and ammunition, some of which was high-powered, from McRae’s home, spokesman Ed Troyer said. They were still determining whether the weaponry was legally owned, and had informed federal authorities of what was seized, Troyer said.
He said among the items taken were an SKS rifle, AR 15 rifle, handguns and eight magazines that each had 30 rounds of .223 ammunition. Prosecutors said McRae had a Glock handgun and a Ruger Mini 14 rifle, both loaded, when he was arrested.
According to charging papers:
Deputies responded to 3701 38th Ave. NW for a report of shots fired. The two workers said they had been locking up the gates about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when they heard three gunshots nearby.
They started driving away separately on 38th Avenue Northwest to go home, and about a block away encountered a gray-haired man in the middle of the road.
He cocked a rifle or was loading it, one worker said. She said she thought he was going to shoot her, though the gun was not pointed at her. She sped up and drove around him.
As the other worker followed, the man pointed the rifle at her and fired. She thought a second shot hit her front passenger side tire, and authorities later found a flat tire on the vehicle.
The two women drove to a nearby gas station and called police.
Authorities found McRae near his home – his five-acre property is adjacent to the school – and he told them a man and a woman had just robbed him.
When he came home, McRae said, the pair was coming out of his house with his guns. He said they dropped the weapons and fled.
He fired at least four warning shots, he told deputies, who then arrested him.
On the way to the jail, he gave a different account of that night. He said a naked woman had knocked on his window when he was home. He said he guessed she was related to the robbery, but let her inside because it was cold.
Deputies found no signs of a break-in or footprints in the frost around the house.
They did find the weapons and large amounts of ammunition, two shell casings in the road and two more on the easement to McRae’s property.
No children were in danger during the incident, Troyer said.
Alexis Krell: 253-597-8268
alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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