Federal weapons charges for Ridgefield man

A Ridgefield man who has ties to a white supremacist group is facing federal weapons charges after the Clark County Sheriff’s Office searched his home in 2010.

Federal prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Tacoma say police found ammunition in the home of James Todd Sapp, a convicted felon.

Deputies started investigating Sapp on April 27, 2010, after he reportedly choked a 12-year-old neighbor who wanted to talk about Sapp’s dogs’ having killed his chickens, according to court documents. Someone related to the 12-year-old was punched in the face later that day after going to talk to Sapp about the incident, the documents say.

The sheriff’s office began investigating Sapp for the assaults and discovered he was an admitted member of the Aryan Brotherhood.

On June 4, 2010, the sheriff’s office served a search warrant on Sapp’s home and found an unused Remington shotgun shell in a room with “a large number of dolls.” Sapp’s wife told police her husband collected the dolls. Police found additional ammunition in the home and a garage where Sapp said he was working on a car.

Court documents also say Sapp told staff at the Clark County Jail in 2008 that he did not want to room with anyone “of color.” He also told Gresham, Ore., police in 2005 that he was an active member of the Aryan Brotherhood and kept in touch with his “brothers” behind bars.

Sapp will have a detention hearing Monday at 3 p.m.