PULLMAN, Wash. — The man accused of threatening to bomb a Pullman apartment over the weekend faced a judge for the first time on Tuesday, and new court documents are shedding light on what led up to the suspect's arrest.
Pullman police responded to a home on Morton Street after a teen at the home reported a family member was intoxicated and threatening to burn down the apartment. The family member was later identified as Apollo Lawyer, who appeared in court Tuesday for multiple charges.
According to Whitman County Court documents, Pullman police responded to a home near Reaney Park just after 4 p.m. on Sunday. When officers arrived, they reportedly heard screaming from inside the home. Officers entered the home and smelled smoke.
Officers found the suspect, later identified as Lawyer, standing in the home with his hands up.
Court documents say the teen who reported Lawyer told police he threatened to kill everyone in the home and lit the device with the fuse before putting it on the carpet. This left a burn mark, which the teen stomped out.
Lawyer told police he had been drinking and was attacked by the children living at the apartment. Documents say his face was bloody but he refused medical attention.
Police searched the home and found two devices containing a granular substance that burned when lit. Police say this indicates the devices had explosive potential. Police also found a one-pound jar of rifle powder and shotgun shells.
That's when Pullman police requested assistance from the Spokane Bomb Squad.
All this commotion had neighbors on edge, including Abriana Escott, who lives a few doors down from where the suspect was arrested.
"It wasn't too scary. But once, you know, Bomb Squad shows up and everything, it's very like, okay, you know, once they get out of here, then I'll feel better about it," Escott said. "That told me that it wasn't just like someone playing around with like a small fire or anything."
Lawyer faces multiple felony charges, including first-degree assault, arson and threats to kill. Several of these felony charges hold a max sentence of life in prison upon conviction.
In his preliminary appearance Monday, prosecutors and the judge acknowledged Lawyer's extensive criminal history dating back to 2008.
KREM 2 found a total of 18 prior charges, the majority of which occurred in Nez Perce County, Idaho.
Between Dec. 2008 and Dec. 2009, records show Lawyer was charged with three different minor in possession charges, two for alcohol and one for drug paraphernalia. On Dec. 18, 2009, he was charged with burglary, his first felony. He was found guilty of burglary and sentenced to 60 days in jail.
Lawyer has a total of three driving under the influence (DUI) charges, according to records. He got his first misdemeanor DUI in Valley County, Idaho in 2015, which he was found guilty of. For that DUI, his license was suspended for 90 days and he was sentenced to 180 days in jail with credit for time served.
His second DUI charge came three years later in June 2018. He was found guilty of aggravated DUI and sentenced to three years in the Idaho Department of Corrections.
Lawyer was charged with an enhanced DUI in 2020, but the charge was later dropped by the prosecutor.
In addition to those charges, Lawyer has numerous infractions and misdemeanor charges for driving offenses, including driving with a suspended license, failure to provide proof of insurance, failure to annually register and failure to wear a seatbelt.
The judge ordered Lawyer to wear an alcohol and GPS monitoring device. He also set a $10,000 cash bail or $100,000 surety bond and banned Lawyer from Pullman city limits. If he bails out, Lawyer must remain at his home in Idaho.
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