Thurston County standoff suspect posts bail

Conditions of release require Jon Day, 65, to obtain mental health evaluation, follow extra supervision guidelines

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The man accused of shooting at two Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies during a seven-hour standoff in Rainier last week has been released from jail.

Jon William Day, 65, of Rainier, posted a $50,000 bail bond on Tuesday, Sept. 8, according to court records.

His conditions of release, as set by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Allyson Zipp on Friday, Sept. 4, require him to complete a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) evaluation and report for county Pretrial Services Supervision within two days of his release.

The DCR evaluation involves a designated mental health professional conducting interviews with Day, as well as his friends and family, to determine whether Day meets the criteria for involuntary treatment, or qualifies for any less restrictive mental health treatment options.
The court’s order for a DCR requires Day to follow any recommended treatment.

Separate from the DCR, Pretrial Services Supervision personnel will set additional supervision requirements, such as electronic home monitoring or mandatory appointments with court staff, for Day to follow until his case is resolved.

Day’s residence in the 600 block of Nieland Loop Southeast in Rainier is currently uninhabitable due to the damage it sustained during the standoff and arrest, according to Public Defender Diana Wildland.

His friends and family are setting up a mobile home on the property for him to reside in until the house is repaired, Wildland informed the court on Friday.

Day is currently recovering from injuries he sustained during the standoff and arrest, and is expected to have surgery soon to address shrapnel damage to his eyes.




While advocating for Day’s release on Friday, Wildland said that releasing Day back into the community with a DCR requirement was appropriate “so that he can get access to the support that he needs, so he can grieve his partner, so he can be with his family in this time, and so that he can get the medical attention that he needs.”

Day is accused of barricading himself inside his residence in the 600 block of Nieland Loop Southeast in Rainier and shooting at two deputies responding to a report of a domestic dispute.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies were advised that the dispute was between Day and his adult daughter. The argument reportedly stemmed from “the recent and expected death of Jon’s wife,” identified by the Thurston County Coroner’s Office as Gina Day, 59, of Rainier.

Gina Day had passed away earlier in the day on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and was still inside the residence when the dispute was reported at approximately 9:10 p.m., according to documents filed in Thurston County Superior Court. Officials do not suspect foul play, and her death is not being investigated as a homicide.

Zipp found probable cause Friday for two counts of first-degree assault for Day’s alleged actions during the standoff.

The Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office charges shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

He faces one count each of first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, a class A felony punishable by up to life in prison.
Arraignment was scheduled for Sept. 11.