William Gregory Rathgeber makes a first appearance on multiple drug and firearms allegations in Clark County Superior Court on Monday morning, Nov. 21, 2016. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
The owner of a dilapidated house that sits across the street from Covington Middle School appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on multiple drug and firearms allegations.
William Gregory Rathgeber, 56, is facing first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a building for drug purposes, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Rathgeber faces similar charges in a pending case from May and was free on bail when he was arrested again.
Members of the Safe Streets Task Force, Vancouver Police Neighborhood Response Team and Clark County Tactical Detective Unit, assisted by Southwest Washington Regional SWAT, converged on the house at 6114 N.E. 112th Ave. on Saturday morning, according to a Vancouver police bulletin. They remained on scene most of the day.
Officers served a search warrant alleging that the house was being used to distribute methamphetamine. They reported finding two glass pipes, which contained suspected methamphetamine, a plastic cup of the drug, 60 grams of suspected methamphetamine in a wall safe and a digital scale, according to a probable cause affidavit.
They also found two handguns and seven rifles, one of which was reported stolen, in the living area of a small shed on the property. Witnesses said Rathgeber originally purchased the firearms and stored them in the shed because he can’t legally possess them. The witnesses said he started purchasing the firearms after his arrest in May, the affidavit states.
Rathgeber told officers he no longer lives inside the house but lives inside a large shop on the property. He denied knowing about any methamphetamine or firearms found inside his bedroom or the shop, court records state. However, there was no evidence that Rathgeber has been staying in the shop, police said.
A second person, Gabriel Lawson, 43, was also arrested during the raid after he ran from police. He was wanted on a felony warrant out of Port Angeles and a misdemeanor warrant out of Clark County. Lawson was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, according to police. He also appeared Monday in Superior Court.
During Rathgeber’s hearing, Judge David Gregerson revoked his release in the pending case and set his bail at $380,000 for all of the allegations. Vancouver defense attorney Steve Thayer is representing Rathgeber, but he was not present Monday morning. Rathgeber will be arraigned Dec. 2.
The house, which sits at the corner of Northeast 112th and Rosewood avenues, has been the subject of complaints for numerous code violations, including having inoperable vehicles in an urban zone, debris in an urban zone, occupied travel trailers, storage containers without permits, building without permits and illegal commercial storage. The county has levied more than $350,000 in liens against the property.
This story will be updated when court records become available.
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