Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An evening in Silver Creek with plans for dinner and a threesome ended abruptly when a man allegedly stabbed the guest in the chest because he was masturbating at the kitchen table.

The visitor, a 43-year-old man from Lacey, was listed in critical condition this morning, and the suspect is being held in the Lewis County Jail.

Claude E. Royals, 56, of Silver Creek, was charged in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday with first-degree assault.

Royals was arrested after deputies were called about 9:23 p.m. on Tuesday about a stabbing at the 100 block of Huntting Road.

Law enforcement went both to the home and also to Morton General Hospital, after learning the suspect’s girlfriend was driving the victim there, according to charging documents.

The girlfriend told a deputy she had been home with Royals when the Lacey man arrived. She said the three of them were going to have a sexual encounter and everything seemed to be okay when the friend got there, according to court documents.

Royals was barbecuing some food while the friend took a shower, then the friend sat down at the kitchen table wearing only a towel, she said.

She told the deputy her boyfriend walked over to a roll top desk, picked up a folding knife and opened the blade, then walked over to their guest and stabbed him, charging documents relate.

The girlfriend said the victim stood up, then fell to the ground; she grabbed onto her boyfriend as he continued trying to assault the man and she was eventually able to get the knife, she said.

She and the victim left and drove to the hospital, she said.

The deputies who went to the house spoke with Royals, who allegedly admitted to stabbing the man, saying he did it because the victim was touching himself at the kitchen table, according to charging documents. Royals said he used a fork, not a knife.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said Royals was offended by the actions of his visitor.

In Lewis County Superior Court yesterday afternoon, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher asked that Royals be held on $75,000 bail, noting that while the suspect lived locally, he felt there was a community safety issue. Judge James Lawler agreed.

Royals had a third-degree assault case from 2013, Meagher said.

Temporary defense attorney Kevin Nelson told the judge his client’s income from his job at National Frozen Foods put him close to the line in terms of qualifying for court-appointed counsel. Attorney Chris Baum was appointed.

Royals’ arraignment is scheduled for next Thursday.

The victim was flown from Morton to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the sheriff’s office. Yesterday morning, sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dusty Breen reported the man was in stable condition.

This morning, a spokesperson at Harborview said he was in the intensive care unit, listed in critical condition.
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For background, read “News brief: Man airlifted to Seattle after Silver Creek stabbing” from Wednesday August 23, 2017, here

Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter

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