Yakima man arrested in standoff charged with threatening to kill former coworkers

Prosecutors have charged a Yakima man with felony harassment after he made repeated threats to kill his former coworkers.

Charles Edward Hoffert, 62, was charged Wednesday in Yakima County Superior Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 1.

Hoffert was arrested on the allegation following a 6 1/2 hour standoff outside his 2214 Summitview Ave. home June 16.

An employee at Hoffert’s former employer, Don Jordan Energy, said Hoffert called at 7:40 a.m. that morning, asking for several people and said he would come down and kill employees, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Another employee tried to talk to Hoffert, but Hoffert repeatedly told him he was going to kill him and everyone at the company’s job site, the affidavit said. Hoffert also sent the employee 50 text messages, some of which contained death threats.

When police went to arrest Hoffert at his home, he told police by phone that they had no authority to be on his property and hung up on them, the affidavit said. He told a police designated crisis responder that the police had to get off his property, and that they would have to kill him if they wanted to arrest him, the affidavit said.

Yakima SWAT cordoned off a six-block stretch of Summitview Avenue, with armored vehicles positioned in front and behind Hoffert’s house, as negotiators repeatedly called for Hoffert to come out. Officers warned Hoffert that if he refused, police would use force to arrest him.

Police went into the house after first putting pepper spray and tear gas inside, and found Hoffert holed up in a bathroom, the affidavit said. Hoffert attacked officers and a patrol dog with a metal bar and bit the dog after the dog had bit his right hand, the affidavit said.

Hoffert is being held on $10,000 bail on the charge. He is also being held on suspicion of harming a police dog for allegedly biting YPD K-9 Trex. No charges have been filed as of press time on that charge.

Hoffert is also facing reckless endangerment and malicious mischief charges in connection with a March 2020 standoff in which he shot at a neighbor’s home and a power transformer.