Marcelle J. Snodgrass consults with defense attorney Joely O’Rourke today in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Bail was set today at $250,000 for the Centralia woman accused of stabbing her roommate in the chest with a large kitchen knife yesterday afternoon.
Marcelle J. Snodgrass, 45, was handcuffed and shackled at her waist and ankles when she was brought into Lewis County Superior Court this afternoon.
She was charged with first-degree assault, a class A felony that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Nelson asked the judge to hold Snodgrass on $500,000 bail, citing a threat to community safety and noting that when she was on electronic home monitoring on “the 16th” she tested positive for methamphetamine.
He said it he saw 11 convictions in Alaska for Snodgrass.
Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke in requesting bail of only $25,000 said she didn’t know anything about convictions in Alaska, but said other than a felony last year, her client’s most recent felony was 20 years ago.
The 26-year-old victim survived the injury which was described as deep but not life-threatening as it didn’t pierce any major organs. She was taken to the hospital yesterday evening and released by this morning.
The wound was just below her collarbone, according to court papers.
Charging papers and police indicate an officer called about 5:11 p.m. yesterday to a report of a stabbing victim contacted the woman near the intersection of North Washington Avenue and Park Street.
Brittany Ross told an officer Marci Snodgrass and she had been in an argument over rent money at the apartment on 200 block of North Ash Street and Snodgrass stabbed her with a knife that was long with a serrated blade and a black handle, according to court documents.
Ross said her friend Michael Mitchell was there and helped her out of the house. Mitchell corroborated her story, according to the documents.
When police went to the apartment and spoke with Snodgrass, she denied anything other than a verbal argument.
Detective Sgt. Carl Buster said this morning the victim and her friend ran, and she collapsed a few blocks from the apartment, but he didn’t have a phone and neighbors in the area called 911.
When officers searched the apartment, they retrieved a long, black-handled serrated knife hidden behind cookie sheets in the kitchen, with tissue and a substance on the first three inches of the blade, charging documents relate.
Snodgrass, through her lawyer, told the judge the woman hadn’t lived with her in a month, that she’d asked her move out because of drug use.
She indicated to the judge through sniffles that she was ill, didn’t have her medication and had suffered three seizures already while locked up.
O’Rourke said Snodgrass was unemployed, and living on SSI disability benefits and qualified for a court appointed lawyer.
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For background, read “Centralia woman stabbed, roommate arrested” from Monday February 22, 2016, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
@FreeAir – When people don’t get justice they are probably not going to forget it and are going to complain about it frequently. This young man was stabbed at a party. The stabber claimed that the victim had him down and he stabbed him with a sharp piece of firewood. Harborview said it was a knife and the State Police recovered the knife the next day and the Stabber admitted to it. The sick thing is that he and his buddy actually pushed a sharp stick of firewood into a couple of the stab wounds while the victim was unconscious to support his self defense claim.
The Lewis county detective assigned at first made a fairly honest report from what I understand. The problem is that Gene Seiber, for reasons which we speculate on, got his underling to change his report and walked it over to the prosecutor with a recommendation not to prosecute. As chief detective, he carried a lot of weight at that time.
I have recently met the new sheriff, Rob Snaza, and was very impressed by him. He demoted Gene Seiber when he came into office. He probably has worked with Seiber for a long time and knows how he operates. I don’t know what his reasons were. Maybe crap like this was one of them.
Anyway, the young man has gone on with his life. His father harbors a resentment against Gene Seiber and the Lewis County Sheriff’s department for not putting the stabber before a jury.
Anyway, I have recommended to the victim’s father that he get an appointment with Snaza and voice his complaint. Don’t know if that’s going to happen.
So what happened when he went to the Sheriff’s Office or Prosecuting Attorney’s and demanded his right to press charges for assault?
You keep pounding on this, but I’ve never once seen where he wanted charges to be pressed. What’s the whole story???
Stabbing is not a crime in Lewis County. If it was the animal that stabbed my friend’s son 9 times in the back would have been arrested. Fortunately for the stabber he is related to cops and is training to be a cop, so the chief Lewis County deputy, Gene Seiber (at that time), gave the sick bastard a pass.
I’m a Vietnam Vet and I can see giving a fellow vet a pass on a parking ticket or something like that but to give a pass on stabbing that was near fatal is a criminal act and Seiber is still on the force.
And I hope none of you meet that sick bastard who stabbed my friend’s son and two other people before that out on the road when he becomes a cop like his granddaddy and uncle. If so, don’t piss him off or you might end up dead.
Wow , watch out landlords ! Don’t ask this animal for rent. I’m with Cheri, why aren’t the charges attempted murder?
Well they cant send her to Western State because their under investigation, the Lewis County Law and justice center should be under investigation along with the Centralia PD. Look its another client for over worked O’Rourke imagine that.. Crazy Old Man we better call Saul for this one…
I agree, Cheri. This is a weak charge, considering what happened. And wouldn’t “first-degree assault” mean it was premeditated? This sounds more like an argument that got out of hand and that would make this particular charge tougher to prove, unless Ms. Snodgrass had planned to get into an argument so she could stab the victim. Weird case.
“your Honor, I don’t know anything about past 11 felonies in another state. Other than one felony a year ago all I know about is another felony 20 years ago”. Great line by the defense lawyer. Felonies are felonies and this is just another ne. Whatever happened to the three strikes law?
Cry, baby, cry. Don’t wanna be in jail. Waaaah
Why is she not being charged with attempted murder?? It wasn’t self defense, i mean, who takes a large kitchen knife & stabs someone if they WEREN’T intending to kill them?