A 59-year-old Vancouver man was taken into custody Wednesday night after he allegedly threatened staff at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
Timothy J. White appeared Thursday morning in Clark County Superior County on suspicion of threatening to bomb or injure property and felony harassment-death threats.
White was wheeled into the courtroom in a restraint chair and wore a suicide-prevention smock, given to inmates who may try to harm themselves with standard jail clothing.
The court provided White with a pair of headphones when he told Judge Bernard Veljacic early in the hearing that he is deaf. White answered the prosecutor’s questions with “Yes, ma’am” and the judge’s with “Yes, sir.”
Deputy Prosecutor Julie Carmena said White does not appear to have a criminal history; she requested a bail amount of $15,000.
Veljacic set White’s bail at $10,000 and an arraignment date of Sept. 6.
Vancouver police responded to the hospital about 5:20 p.m. for a report of a man who made threats to shoot hospital or pharmacy staff and was headed to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, 400 N.E. Mother Joseph Place, after stating he had a firearm and grenade, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email.
White had reportedly called Molina Healthcare and made the threats against PeaceHealth. Before leaving for the hospital, he called 911 and said he was “arming himself” and that he would have “about (a) 30 minute drive,” according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Earlier that day, White was reportedly denied medication at the PeaceHealth Southwest Interventional Pain Clinic, 2312 N.E. 129th St., where he told a registered nurse that he “could put a gun under the window,” the affidavit states.
“If I get to the hospital, and they say ‘no,’ it will not be good. I cannot take that again tonight,” White reportedly said while driving to the hospital.
Hospital staff said they felt threatened, and the hospital was placed on lockdown, court records say.
“Patrol officers were able to get staff inside, lock down the hospital and conduct a traffic stop on the male who was taken into custody without incident,” Kapp said in an email.
An officer with the police department’s bomb squad searched White’s car for any possible explosives. None were located.
White was checked by medical staff at the hospital before being booked into the Clark County Jail.
No one was injured.
Court-appointed defense attorney Chris Dumm said White was experiencing a severe medical crisis when he made the alleged threats. White whispered into his attorney’s ear, who then relayed to the judge: “You’ll never see him here again.”
Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop contributed to this story.
