Republic City Hall target of firebombing Disgruntled water customer arrested; officials move government to offices formerly used by doctor

John Craig - Staff writer

REPUBLIC, Wash. _ Hours after Republic City Hall was firebombed early Friday morning, authorities arrested a disgruntled city water customer on suspicion of arson.

The smoldering fire caused extensive smoke damage throughout the small building, forcing city officials to relocate the government offices.

Police Chief Nick Merritt said the suspect, who was known to be angry with city officials, was among those who turned out to watch shortly after 7 a.m. when firefighters arrived. Merritt spotted him in the crowd.

"At that time it didn't click with me because we didn't know it was arson," Merritt said. "I just made a mental note that he was there."

Merritt said the suspect, 39-year-old Terry W. Graves, was arrested about 3 p.m. Authorities planned to charge him locally with second-degree arson, but federal charges may supersede the state charges before the case goes to trial.

Graves has a misdemeanor drug conviction, but no felony record. Mayor Elbert Koontz said Graves complained bitterly at City Hall and elsewhere when his water was shut off last week for failure to pay the bill. Graves even asked a well driller about the possibility of drilling a private well within city limits, which the driller found odd enough to remember, Koontz said.

Merritt and Koontz called in arson investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Spokane, and the case was quickly resolved. Koontz said investigators obtained a videotape from the local Chevron station showing the suspect buying gasoline that may have been used in the Molotov cocktail that was thrown through the window of the City Council chambers.

A gasoline container and a shirt from which the wick may have been fashioned were found across the street from City Hall, the mayor said.

A Molotov cocktail is a bottle -- a fruit-juice bottle in this case -- full of flammable liquid with a burning wick in the bottle's neck.

Merritt said Graves appeared to have minor burns on three of his fingers.

The fiery missile landed near two council members' chairs, burning the floor and the chairs and spreading thick smoke throughout the building before dying out. City Hall in this town of 1,040 consists of a meeting room, an office that Koontz and Merritt share, an office shared by the clerk and assistant clerk and a vault.

Koontz said a backup computer and other records in the vault were unharmed, and computers elsewhere in the building were still operational although so badly damaged they may have to be replaced.

"We're probably looking at between $20,000 and $30,000 in damage, depending on how much of the computer and electronic equipment was ruined," Merritt estimated.

Koontz said City Hall will reopen Tuesday in a vacant doctor's office about two blocks away, on Keller Street. Until then, city workers will be busy cleaning up office equipment and moving it to the temporary quarters, the mayor said.

"Luckily, it's a doctor's office and they've got a great big counter in the front of it, so we'll fit right in there," Koontz said. "We'll start to move on Sunday and hope to be back in business taking money for water and sewer on Tuesday."

Koontz said he hadn't yet met with insurance adjusters to set a timetable and determine the costs of repairing City Hall.

Friday's fire was discovered about 7 a.m. by Kevin Green, owner of the Loose Blue Moose Restaurant next door. Green said he was walking past City Hall with his dog Friday morning when he heard smoke alarms in the building. He noticed windows and a sign on the building were discolored by smoke.

He said he smelled smoke faintly, and tried to look through the smoke-covered windows.

"All I could see was total blackness, and there should have been some light," he said.

John Gianukakis, chief of Ferry-Okanogan Fire District 13, said firefighters found "lots of smoke" inside the building, but little or no fire. The fire may have smoldered for several hours before it was detected, he said.

• John Craig may be contacted at (509) 459-5429 or by e-mail at johnc@spokesman.com.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001

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