Natrone D. Bostick, 19, left, and Samath L. Hem, 23, attempt to turn their seats to face a wall when they see a camera in the courtroom this afternoon.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Two Pierce County men have been ordered held on $100,000 bail for allegedly tying up a rural Chehalis man with a power cord and robbing him at gunpoint at his home where he had invited an escort he contacted on Backpage.com.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday checks belonging to the victim found in the trunk of a car associated with a Chehalis shoplifting case earlier this week led them to the suspects.
Natrone D. Bostick, 19, of Lakewood, and Samath L. Hem, 23, Tacoma, were interviewed in the Lewis County Jail where they had been booked on Tuesday for organized retail theft.
The sheriff’s office said two males arrived with the female to the residence on the 900 block of Logan Hill Road last Friday, but the 53-year-old victim didn’t report what happened until the following day.
The alleged facts set forth in the affidavit of probable cause basically indicate a home invasion, Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey said this afternoon.
Hem, 23, reportedly told a detective he drove Bostick and the un-named female to Lewis County in his grandmother’s rented red Charger.
Court documents make no mention of why the three ended up at the Logan Hill home.
Charging documents give the following account of what the victim reported:
One of the males hit him in the head with a pistol, one of the males punched him the face multiple times.
“(He) stated he was dragged to his bedroom where he was tied up at his feet and ankles with a power cord,” Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello wrote.
A pistol was pointed at him while one of them demanded the combination to his safe and the other two rummaged through his house.
They were in the residence several minutes and then fled. Once he was able to untie himself, he discovered valuables missing from his home, including a large television and some checkbooks.
The sheriff’s office reported this morning that search warrants were executed which resulted in the recovery of some of the victim’s property.
The victim was shown photo montages and identified Bostick, but was uncertain because the male at his home had been wearing a hoody.
A 21-year-old woman from Tacoma was arrested with Bostick and Hem on Tuesday by Chehalis police in their case, but has not been implicated by authorities in this case.
Bostick and Hem were charged today with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and also with first-degree kidnapping, for allegedly holding the victim to facilitate the commission of a felony or flight thereafter.
Each of those offenses carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Hem, who has no felonies in his background, is to be represented by court-appointed attorney Jacob Clark. Centralia lawyer Don Blair was appointed for Bostick.
Their arraignments are scheduled for next Thursday afternoon.
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For background, read “Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup – BACKPAGE.COM ENCOUNTER ENDS WITH VIOLENT ROBBERY” from Thursday May 5, 2016, here
Are you kidding me? Did he actually invite a stranger to his home? What happened to “getting a room?” Wow, what an idiot! He’s lucky to be alive!!
For those with a hankering for the exotic Eros of the far east. I understand there had been some means – as-of-recently – to facilitate such propinquity via administrative channels at the Timberland Regional Library. I’m not sure if you need a library card, or not, though. Probably ask a librarian first.
Well actually not all of Nevada. It is any county of less than 100, 000 can vote to have legalized prostitution. Those legal houses do not have robberies, the activities are all safe so there is no transmission of diseases.
As far as Vegas goes, especially the strip, there are countless pros working the casinos and last count I heard was that at least 85% of the illegal ladies working the strip are infected with HIV. There are a lot of trick rolls as well.
I agree Pea Body Slim!!!! Nevada did.
Legalize Hoes
thats what people get for not meeting the person in public before hand
For, if nothing else, a spirit of community commerce. Gentlemen, please, hire only local prostitutes.
If I saw Natrone and his buddy show up I would definitely have clicked the safety off.