A Vancouver man who made threats to bomb multiple local government offices was sentenced Wednesday to roughly 4 1/2 months in jail.
Gerardo Martin Prado, 31, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to making threats to bomb. Prado, who was arrested Jan. 22, was given credit for time already served in the Clark County Jail as part of a deal with the prosecutor’s office.
On Jan. 17, a man who identified himself as Jasulam Castro called the Washington State Department of Health’s office in Tumwater and left a threatening voicemail, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
“I am letting know to any person my name is Jasulam. Get ready because problems you have them already … get your act together … stop sharing my name and stop reporting me because I will take your office with a bomb,” he said in Spanish, according to the affidavit. “The office of immigration, the one in Clark County, and your office, and the one with the birth certificates.”
The message was forwarded to Clark County Public Health’s vital statistics office. An employee recognized the name as someone who had attempted to obtain a birth certificate several times, the affidavit said.
In a recent visit prior to the message, the man was swearing, acting aggressively and relaying an elaborate story about being kidnapped and spied on by the government, according to the affidavit. “The subject appeared to be a customer of the mental health service provider in the same building,” the affidavit reads.
The vital statistics employee identified Prado as the suspect through a booking photo, according to the affidavit.
Records indicate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed previous holds on Prado, who was born in Mexico, based on local charges, which were later dropped.
During his court case, Prado was transferred to Western State Hospital for a mental health competency assessment. He was diagnosed with several disorders but determined competent to stand trial, court records said.
Prado was ordered not to make contact with the vital statistics office as part of his sentence.
“I want to apologize, and I will never do that again,” Prado said Wednesday to Judge Suzan Clark.
