A Vancouver man made his first court appearance Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court after allegedly making threats to bomb multiple local government offices.
Gerardo Martin Prado, 30, faces an allegation of making threats to bomb or injure property. Judge Robert Lewis set his bail at $30,000.
On Jan. 17, a man identifying himself as Jasulam Castro called the Washington State Department of Health’s office in Tumwater and left a threatening voice mail, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The message was spoken in Spanish and left on a customer service line, the affidavit said.
“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 relayed to Clark County Public Health’s vital statistics office, according to the affidavit. Belinda Walker, program manager at the office, recognized the name as someone who had attempted to obtain a birth certificate several times, the affidavit said.
In a recent visit, the man was swearing, acting aggressively and relaying an elaborate story about being kidnapped and spied on by the government, according to the affidavit. Walker said the man offered several aliases in his visits to the office and had obvious burn scars on his face and neck, the affidavit said.
“The subject appeared to be a customer of the mental health service provider in the same building,” the affidavit reads.
The man was later identified as Prado. Walker identified him through a booking photo, according to an affidavit. He was arrested Tuesday morning.
During his hearing, Prado indicated that his name is Jashulem Valencia Castros, according to court records.
His prior criminal history includes assault, theft and trespass, according to court records. Records also indicate that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed previous holds on Prado, who was born in Mexico, based on local charges. The holds were later dropped.
Prado is scheduled to be back in court Thursday so that a competency evaluation can be ordered.
