Alleged custodial assault at Thurston County Corrections Facility

A 25-year-old inmate is facing two counts of custodial assault after allegedly attacking Thurston County Corrections Facility deputies.

The incident took place around 3 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the jail on Ferguson Lane SW in Tumwater. 

According to a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office report, inmate James Naithan Mast Boyet, of Morton, refused to comply with orders and later became combative inside a video court booth.  

The report states Mast Boyet removed his clothing while meeting with his assigned attorney. When a deputy intervened, he allegedly took a fighting stance and struck one deputy in the face before kicking another.

Several jail staff, including corrections deputies and sergeants, restrained Mast Boyet after a brief struggle. Two deputies suffered minor injuries and were treated on-site. 

“Throughout the entirety of the restraint and escort process, James struggled against the deputies by yelling, spitting, and pulling away from them,” a responding deputy stated in the report.

The suspect was eventually secured without further incident.  He faces two counts of custodial assault as a result of the incident.

Mast Boyet had been booked into the Thurston County Jail days earlier, following a Sept. 30 alleged burglary in Rochester.

In that case, deputies said he broke a window to enter a garage on Sargent Road SW, damaged property and attempted to steal a vehicle. Investigators found blood at the scene and linked him to the crime that resulted in  two counts of vehicle prowling and one count of second-degree burglary. 

Video footage and witness statements supported the burglary charge, and Mast Boyet was taken into custody without incident during that arrest.