Grand Coulee man charged with setting fire in Teamsters building in Spokane

A Grand Coulee man faces at least five years in prison if convicted of lighting a fire in the building housing the Spokane County Democrats last month.

Peter James Yeager, 45, was indicted Tuesday by U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington William D. Hyslop with “Damage by Fire to a Building Used in Interstate and Foreign Commerce,” Hyslop’s office said in a press release.

Independent charges have also been filed by the Spokane County prosecuting attorney.

State court documents say Yeager drove from his home in Grand Coulee Dec. 9, 2020 with a plan to burn down the Teamsters Building at 1912 North Division Street, where the county Democratic headquarters were.

Although he told people inside that he had a bomb, court documents say, he had been careful not to possess a completed explosive device, but did have gasoline, oil, a roll of toilet paper and a camping lighter. Using those items and paper he’d found in the hallway, he allegedly started a fire in the Democrats’ office, which also caught other offices in the building on fire.

The federal charge carries a five- to 20-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine, and a three-year term of court supervision on release.

Yeager has also been charged in Spokane County Superior Court with first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, and threats to bomb or injure property. He’ll stay in jail there, unless he can post a $500,000 bond.

“Operating 24 hours a day, joint terrorism task forces gather the resources, skills, and information of various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to safeguard our communities,” commented Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Earl D. Camp, of the Seattle Field Office. “The Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force’s swift actions, especially by our partners at Spokane Police Department, averted an already hazardous situation from spiraling dangerously out of control.”