Zachery H. Bynum appears with a defense attorney in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 41-year-old Packwood man being held in the Lewis County Jail allegedly took a 22-year-old woman up a logging road and threatened her with a machete, telling her either she was going to kill him or he was going to kill her before she managed to talk him into going to the Glenoma grocery, where he then forced her to drive him away as deputies arrived.
Zachery H. Bynum was arrested after an approximately four-mile police pursuit, during which he held the large knife alternately to the young woman’s ribs and neck, according to court documents.
Authorities say she tried to jump from her pickup truck while it was still traveling in excess of 45 mph after its front tires had been punctured by spike strips; it was only after it struck a guard rail and further struggling that she broke free and ran to the safety of a nearby patrol car.
Tuesday’s events were triggered because the woman met with Bynum to tell him she could not see him any more, court documents state.
Bynum, a homeless person, is charged with kidnapping and a multitude of other offenses.
He appeared before a judge today in Lewis County Superior Court, with shackles around his waist and his ankles. He refused jail officers’ attempts yesterday afternoon to bring him into court.
“My client could not be here yesterday because he suffers from significant, I mean significant, mental health issues,” defense attorney Bob Schroeter told the judge.
Prosecutors asked for bail to be set at $1 million, citing the danger to the victim and the community.
“Short of a violent sexual assault or homicide, I can’t think of much else more he could have done,” Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke told the judge.
Prosecutors said the Morton woman was taken to the hospital for treatment of cuts on her neck and other places on her body as well as scrapes.
Bynum has a prior felony conviction for second-degree assault from 1994 and several misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence and harassment, according to prosecutors.
Judge Nelson Hunt set bail at $250,000 and scheduled Bynum’s arraignment for next Thursday.
Charging documents are somewhat vague about the relationship between the two and don’t identify the location of the logging road or how long she and Bynum were there before they got to the grocery store at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
O’Rourke said he didn’t yet have a detailed timeline but got the impression from police reports the whole thing may have taken place over a period of a couple of hours.
She told deputies she is married and has had a romantic relationship with Bynum and they were also friends, according to court documents. She said she and her husband were reconciling and her husband no longer wanted her to see Bynum, the documents state. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the two were dating.
Charging documents based on Lewis County Sheriff’s Office interviews with participants and witnesses allege the following account:
When the young woman met with Bynum on Tuesday to let him know she couldn’t see him any more, he became upset and asked her to give him a ride to a friend’s house. Along the way, he became hostile, calling her names and even spitting on her.
When they neared the destination, he ordered her to pull up a logging road, screaming at her.
Bynum grabbed her by the hair and dragged her up the logging road and away from her vehicle and her dogs which were inside. He took out the large machete and held it in his hand.
Bynum repeatedly shoved her to the ground and ordered her to keep walking and when she struggled, he grabbed her by the throat and said “if she was going to talk like a man, she would fight like a man.”
He told if she didn’t comply, he would kill her dogs.
Finally, when they were stopped, as he stabbed his machete into the dirt near her, he told her it was her or him and he wasn’t going back to prison.
“(S)he knew she was going to die,” charging documents state.
The young woman convinced him they should go somewhere and continue talking, and she drove them to the store on the 8000 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma.
O’Rourke charged the defendant with one count of kidnapping for events up to this point and a second count of kidnapping for what happened at the small grocery after they arrived.
Bynum warned her not to do anything stupid, but once inside, she jumped over the checkout register, stood next to the clerk and begged her for help.
“The checker appeared scared and told (her), I’m sorry.”
Bynum pulled the screaming, struggling woman by her hair out of the building, choked her into unconsciousness and then ordered her back into the truck, smashing her face into the steering wheel.
That’s when a deputy arrived. She pulled away and the pursuit began.
The sheriff’s office spoke of him holding a large knife – described as a mini machete – to her neck. Charging documents refer both to a knife and a large machete.
The truck finally stopped near Kiona Creek Road.
Deputies said Bynum refused to comply with their demands, even at gunpoint, walking toward a deputy and telling him to shoot him in the head. It took a sergeant approaching with a Taser for him to get on the ground.
The defendant fought and resisted arrest, even with multiple officers attempting to detain him.
Bynum is charged with 12 counts, including first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault, felony harassment, misdemeanor assault, attempting to elude and resisting arrest.
Schroeter told Judge Hunt Bynum has no income or assets. He was given a court-appointed attorney.
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For background, read “News brief: Morton woman assaulted, forced to flee arriving law officers” from Wednesday July 17, 2013, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
He went to prison and it ruined him. He didn’t even belong in prison. He was a good guy! It’s a very sad story that has led to his dramatic decline in mental stability. He lost everything he loved. I know what he did is wrong, but underneath his broken hearted anger is a good guy. And hopefully he can get help to find that guy again. I know this story makes him look like a monster, and he obviously was at that moment, but I’m certain it was because he snapped at the thought of losing someone he loved again. This man has lived like a hermit in the woods since he got out of prison. He is just BROKEN 🙁
Okay Sharyn . . . but I didn’t do it first!
slow down with the F words and the name calling … news reporter sharyn decker
*groans* OMG!
getalife – PLEASE take a trip to the library yourself and learn to spell, you fucking idiot! You should be embarrassed to even post here when you have spelling capabilities that would shame most 7 year-olds. Nobody takes a dummy seriously.
Actually, I DO have a life. Great kids. Awesome friends and family. A fantastic job. I own my house and a few cars, and I actually pay for auto insurance. I have better credit than about 95% of the population (score well over 800). I’m not in debt. I don’t take any kind of government assistance, and I pay my taxes. In fact, I have my CPA working on them right now and was shocked to realize they withheld almost $9000 out of my pay in 2012! This is a direct result of the overabundance of worthless non-working tweakers and other dipshits on welfare and SSI in this world. They are the reason that I have to work so hard and pay so much and I’m getting really sick of it. So YOU get a life. And while you’re doing that, get a job too.
I’ve also noticed that none of you friends of this creep that you are so quick to defend have yet to reply about the meth question. I can only assume why. getalife, it makes me wonder if you’ve gotten high with this asshole? Since nobody here will admit the truth, I am even further motivated to pull the file at the courthouse and get the answer myself.
Also, from what I can see on Washington State Superior Court records, this guy has had run-ins with the law for years, resulting in at least one conviction. That is NOT a good person. By the way, who is Zeb Bynum? An apple falling not far from the tree, perhaps?
Well seems u discusted always has something to say about someone u obvious that u have no life scence u do is read about other and gotta make a comment one ppl u probably don’t know get a fucking life if ur that board withur miserable life take ur ass to the library andmaybe u can get payed for ur story reaing and ur oppion on thing just saying cause I to know zack and he is not only a good friend but good person as well so anyone else that has anything to say negative maybe needs to keep ur opionion to thereself cause if no secret this girl is a dumb who’re who probably deserved what she got just sayin u do what u always done and u will get what u got for those who are green horns it means u act like a dumb who’re ur gunna be treated like a dumb whore
Hey SCREW ALL OF YOU! FYI – if he’s a father worth defending WTF haven’t you heard from him in ten years? I didn’t act like I knew everything about him. I don’t need to. All I have to do is read this story and put two and two together and it tells us a lot and suggests even more. And be honest with us, he’s a tweaker, isn’t he? Hasn’t worked an honest job in years, has he? You’re better off without this POS in your life.
Yep, he sounds like a real “good man” Heather. Would you leave this loser alone with your kids or grandkids?
meth heads??? – I couldn’t have said it better myself.
OLJ – it scares me how much we agree with one another.
As for the stupid whore he was hanging out with . . . this story tells me all I need to know about her too. I’d bet my hard earned money that she’s a tweaker as well. If you’re messing around on your husband and agree not to see the other man, you don’t go see him one last time. At least that is how someone with half a brain cell left would behave. I just may have to go to the courthouse, pull the file and read what isn’t said here on the website just to confirm my own suspicions.
Memo to you! i haven’t heard from him or seen him in 10 years so of course im going to read it & see what is going on! People like you is what make situations like this 10X worse. Everyone has an opinion & thats fine just put yourself in his families shoes before you go running your mouth. & this was not directed to you at all it’s directed to the other two-three people acting like they know exactly who he is & everything about him. Besides you expect his family not to read or comment on stuff, please explain to me why the hell you needed to voice your opinion..find something better to do!
Memo to me… If my family gets tangled up in something and it ends up on LCS, DON’T READ IT! Okay ME! Don’t read something that will just make me mad, and definitely – DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS!! Okay, I think that I got it….for now….
I know this man and its obvious there’s more to the story then we know.so I think it’s an injustice to say these things without hearing both sides of the story.I don’t care what anyone says Zach is a good man.
Just to throw this out there, i have known this man since i was a baby, actually he raised me for a while. Ya thats my dad all of you are talking about, all of you have your opinions and thats fine one thing you assholes don’t realize is that there are people.. umm like maybe his FAMILY MEMBERS hmm or HIS DAUGHTERS that read this & dont appreciate the comments. there is a reason for his mental issues which occured when i was in fourth grade & he never came back from that incedent so if you guys dont mind, SHUT UP and keep your rude comments to yourself. Sincerely… TABynum
all i am going to say is this story has yet to be fully published, lots of people from around the town know of some of the doings of these folks here. no suprise to most of us who know of them. big question is will she actually testify against him.
Can’t you tell? Bynum is a Mongol Warrior, complete with battle-hair! Bynum will rape, pillage, and plunder his way across the Washington State Penitentiary.
You’ll see. When Bynum sets up his Mighty Mongol Nation and establishes his 100 year-reign in Walla Walla, you will all see the warrior within him.
This was obviously motivated by Bynums disdain for how the Zimmerman trial played out. Poor Bynum, the corrupt criminal justice system in this county is obviously out to get him! So he pulled her hair and just happen to have a cutting utensil in his hand at the time. He’s probably a historical Mortonian wood carver with a flair for the eccentric. I would be pissed too if deputies unlawfully detained me for public foreplay with my girlfriend. I mean, you ain’t really getting f*#$ed until you get your hair pulled!
Wtf is growing or living on the back of his head? Lol, kill it!
probably another self medicated meth head on ssi. no job and no income. one would surmise that the relationship was drug related too. maybe hubby has better dope than the bf????
Betcha’ a million bucks that a lot of this guy’s “mental illness” is enhanced by his meth use. F***ing tweakers . . . you all suck! Send this freak to prison and get his worthless ass off the streets.
How scary! Though I can’t help but wonder what made the lady go back to her boyfriend, even after her husband said not to. Was it out of respect? Just to see him one last time? Did your husband know? So thankful that she turned out okay, at least physically. Grass isn’t always greener….