Olympia man allegedly punches city jail corrections officer

An Olympia man was arrested after allegedly punching a corrections officer while undergoing a pre-booking process at the Olympia City Jail.

Greggery Howard Vader, 34, was arrested late in the evening on July 11 after a reported assault involving two corrections officers at the city jail.

One corrections officer told police that he was attempting to complete Vader’s pre-booking process but the suspect refused to comply. The officer brought Vader to a cell to get him to “sleep it off” and resume the process in the morning.

The suspect became more “volatile” when he was taken to the cell and refused to enter, the corrections officer said.

The officer said he told Vader multiple times to enter the cell, but the suspect began to “push back and tense up” and show “signs of physical resistance.”

When the officer attempted to grab Vader’s arm, the suspect pulled away and threw a “haymaker-type punch” at him, according to the police report. The officer said he dodged the punch.

Another corrections officer arrived at the scene and held Vader’s legs down until a restraint system was brought in and used on the suspect.

The second officer told police that he witnessed Vader throw a “dramatic haymaker” at the first corrections officer.

Olympia police said surveillance footage showed Vader throwing a punch at a corrections officer, who “would have been hit in the face with serious force” if he had not dodged it.

Vader was booked into the Thurston County Jail for third-degree assault, a felony charge.

The JOLT’s July 11 Police Blotter notes Vader being arrested on violation of a no-contact order and assault on the third degree. He also has a prior arrest on May 1 on suspicion of driving with a suspended license.