Detainee wreaks havoc in Olympia City Jail

A Yelm man allegedly spat water in the face of an Olympia corrections officer and flushed his shirt down a cell’s toilet in his refusal to undergo the booking process.

Lane Gary Bennett, 54, was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault on Sept. 5 following the incident.

A day earlier, Bennett was booked into the Olympia City Jail for assault and theft. An Olympia corrections sergeant told police that Bennett refused to complete the booking process on this day.

The corrections officer said she tried to transfer Bennett to a different cell the next day, but the suspect refused and threatened to “beat everyone’s a*s.”

The officer tried again to bring Bennett to a different cell, but it was still being cleaned as the suspect had flooded it by allegedly flushing his shirt down the toilet. Bennett was instead taken to a booking cage while the cell was being cleaned.

While in the cage, Bennett forcefully pulled the door open, the officer said, noting that she would have gotten hit by the door if another officer had not stopped it. He was then secured into the bookings cage.

Bennett asked about his belongings, but officers informed him that he was only getting a sheet until he calmed down.

The corrections officer said Bennet then asked for a cup, but he was told he did not need one since his bathroom sink was intended to function like a drinking fountain.

Bennett went to the sink to drink water, then walked to the cell door and spat the water into the officer’s face, she told police.

The suspect was handcuffed and brought to a holding cell.

The spitting incident was confirmed by another corrections officer and by surveillance footage, according to the police report.

Bennett was transferred to the Thurston County Jail.

Last month, Bennett was also arrested on suspicion of hurling threats and racial slurs at employees of the Intercity Transit Center.