School threat suspect will undergo competency evaluation

EPHRATA — An Arizona man who allegedly threatened last week to shoot up schools in Coulee City and led police on a high-speed chase last week will be undergoing a competency evaluation at a psychiatric hospital. Area schools were locked down last week as a precautionary measure.

On March 3 Benjamin VanTassell, 39, of Flagstaff, Ariz., was charged with threats to bomb or injure property and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz previously set VanTassell’s bail at $125,000.

On Tuesday VanTassell’s attorney, Rafael Gonzales, made the motion for his client to undergo a competency evaluation at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, Wash. Gonzales said after observing VanTassell’s behaviors, hearing statements he made to jail staff and learning about an alleged traumatic brain injury in VanTassell’s past, he had doubts about his client’s ability to participate competently in court proceedings. Deputy Prosecutor Mark Laiminger agreed with Gonzales’ motion for VanTassell to undergo the evaluation.

Antosz agreed with the recommendation, noting that competency evaluations do not relate to the defendant's state of mind when crimes are committed. Antosz pointed out a competency evaluation is related to the defendant's ability to fully understand and participate in court proceedings. Gonzales said most competency evaluations take about three weeks to get a report back. VanTassell is scheduled to be back in court on April 5 for a review hearing.

On March 2 a person, who is alleged to be VanTassell, contacted Spokane’s KHQ at about 7 a.m. and allegedly told an employee he had guns and “C-4” in his vehicle. The KHQ employee told police VanTassell told him he was suicidal, “the state screwed up” and he might go to his daughter’s school in Coulee City and shoot it up, according to police records.

Deputies reportedly tracked the movements of a cell phone that they initially believed was associated with VanTassell. Tracking reportedly indicated the phone was moving through the Moses Lake area, which prompted the Moses Lake School District to go into a temporary lockdown until about 9:20 a.m. Ephrata, Soap Lake and Wilson Creek school districts were also notified of the situation and went into temporary lockdowns. Schools in Coulee City were closed all day in response to the threats. Deputies were able to track the phone to a woman and learned she was not associated with VanTassell and the phone number she currently has previously belonged to VanTassell, according to the sheriff’s office.

VanTassell was taken into custody after a deputy reportedly spotted him in a vehicle heading east on state Route 28 from Soap Lake. The deputy explained that he was traveling west on SR-28, approaching the area of Stratford, when he observed a darker colored vehicle approaching him in the oncoming lane. The deputy reportedly had to move his vehicle to the shoulder of the road to avoid getting hit. He turned his patrol vehicle around and chased VanTassell at speeds in excess of 100 mph, with the pursuit continuing east toward Wilson Creek. VanTassell ultimately doubled back and started heading west on SR-28 toward Soap Lake.

The chase continued into the Lakeview community, where officers with the Ephrata Police Department deployed spike strips for VanTassell’s vehicle at Road A and SR-28. The spike strips were effective and the vehicle came to a stop next to a building near Moses Street and Division Road. After a short standoff VanTassell was taken into custody.