SPOKANE — The man accused of threatening to shoot students at Eastern Washington University last week made his first appearance in court on Tuesday, when his bond was set at $250,000.
Eastern Washington University police said multiple witnesses saw 26-year-old Justin Hale on Thursday petitioning for signatures outside the Pence Union Building. He was arguing with them, using racial slurs and making threats to shoot students, police said. The university spent the weekend asking students for information on the suspect until Hale was arrested Monday morning and booked into the Spokane County Jail.
During his first appearance, state prosecutors argued Hale’s alleged comments were “severe,” noting he had made remarks that if he wasn’t in custody he would return to the school. Court documents show Hale also has a prior conviction of assault with sexual motivation when he was a minor and had failed to register as a sex offender, something that the judge is required to take into account when issuing bond.
The defense planned to reserve their arguments for a later time.
When Spokane Superior Court Judge Jeremy Schmidt set Hale’s bail at $250,000, Hale’s sister, Crystal Bautista-Cisneros, yelled from the back row of the courtroom, appearing to question why the bond was so high. She later said outside the courtroom that it was unfair the judge set the bond so high since it was clear he cannot afford it.