Pair involved in alleged torture, kidnapping case in discussions for possible plea deal

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Attorneys for two of the men arrested in an alleged kidnapping and assault of a Port Townsend man last November have been discussing potential plea deals with the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Four Port Townsend men were arrested in early March for allegedly kidnapping, assaulting, drugging, robbing and torturing an acquaintance they thought had stolen things from a friend’s home Nov. 20.

Zachary James Barbee, Giuseppe D. Glanz, and Robert John Cuevas, and Isaiah William Peoples-Morse were taken into custody on felony counts of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault after the victim in the case came forward in late February to give police details on the alleged crimes.

All four remain in Jefferson County Jail awaiting trial on the felony charges, with bail amounts ranging from $100,000 to $110,000.

During pretrial hearings earlier this month in Jefferson County Superior Court, attorneys for Cuevas and Peoples-Morse said they were working on a resolution to the charges with the prosecutor’s office.

Noah Harrison and Scott Charlton, lawyers appearing on behalf of Cuevas during the
May 14 hearing, said they were close to an agreement with the prosecutor’s office and asked that the trial date for Cuevas be stricken.

A jury trial for Cuevas had earlier been set for May 24.

A change of plea hearing, however, has now been scheduled for Friday, May 28.

Trial dates reset

During the pretrial hearing for Peoples-Morse on May 14, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Anna Phillips asked for the trial date for the defendant be postponed as the parties try to reach a resolution in the case.

Superior Court Judge Keith Harper agreed, and reset the trial date for Peoples-Morse to July 12.

ALARMING ACCUSATIONS

Authorities allege the four men beat up an acquaintance at a home in the mobile park at 545 Hendricks St. in Port Townsend after the victim returned to the residence following a visit there earlier in the day.

The victim in the alleged kidnapping was found lying in the road on Anderson Lake Road, east of Highway 20, on Nov. 20 and called 911.

The man told police he had been kidnapped, robbed, beat up, drugged and left there by his assailants.

The investigation was stalled, however, after the victim “told the deputies that he wasn’t going to say anything because he would be killed,” according to an incident report from the Port Townsend Police Department.

The victim broke his silence after he was later booked into Jefferson County Jail on a shoplifting charge.

He told authorities he had been visiting the home in the trailer park the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 10, but when he returned about midday he was confronted and assaulted by Glanz, Barbee, Cuevas, and Peoples-Morse.

The victim said he was accused of stealing from the group when he came back, and they attacked him and beat him for hours.

At one point, the victim made it to the front door and tried to escape, but was stopped and beaten again. His assailants took turns punching him in the face and ribs, he said, and added he was also hit with clubs.

He started screaming, hoping neighbors in the mobile home park would hear his cries for help.

ALLEGED DEATH THREATS

The man also thought he’d be killed, because at one point, three of the men — Glanz, Barbee, and Peoples-Morse — talked about whether or not to kill him.

The victim also said the attackers threatened him with an assault rifle, and later shot him with a BB gun/airsoft pistol.

The man said he was shot 15 to 20 times, and police found marks on his stomach and back consistent with the size of BB pellets. The victim also alleged that Barbee pointed the gun close to his face and shot him in the right eye with the BB gun as Glanz and Peoples-Morse held him down.

During his kidnapping, the victim also said his attackers cut off his long hair, which was waist length, and shoved the hair into his mouth. He said he was also burned with cigarettes, stripped of his clothes and forced to put on different clothes, and put in the bed of a truck where he was driven around for a while before he was eventually dumped off about 8 miles away from the home where he was assaulted.

He told authorities he was “told to keep his mouth shut, or else,” according to court documents.

During hearings earlier this month for the other two defendants, new trial dates were also set for Barbee and Glanz.

The trial dates for both men have been set for July 12.