EPHRATA — The bail for an Arizona man who is accused of threatening to shoot up schools in Coulee City has been decreased by over $100,000.

Benjamin VanTassell, 39, of Flagstaff, Ariz., is currently charged in Grant County Superior Court with threats to bomb or injure property and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. In March Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz set VanTassell’s bail at $125,000. Following an agreed recommendation between Deputy Prosecutor Mark Laiminger and defense attorney Rafael Gonzales, Grant County Superior Court Judge John Knodell decreased VanTassell’s bail last week from $125,000 to $20,000 cash or bond.

On March 2 a man, who prosecutors allege is VanTassell, contacted Spokane’s KHQ about 7 a.m. and allegedly told an employee he had guns and “C-4” in his vehicle. The KHQ employee told police VanTassell told him he was suicidal, “the state screwed up” and he might go to his daughter’s school in Coulee City and shoot it up, according to police records.

During the investigation into the report deputies tracked the movements of a cell phone they initially believed was associated with VanTassell. Tracking indicated the phone was moving through the Moses Lake area, which prompted the Moses Lake School District to go into a temporary lockdown. Ephrata, Soap Lake and Wilson Creek school districts were notified and went into temporary lockdown as well.

Coulee City schools were closed all day in response to the threats. Deputies traced the phone to a woman and discovered she was not associated with VanTassell and the phone number she had previously now belonged to VanTassell.

VanTassell was arrested after a deputy reportedly spotted him in a vehicle traveling east on state Route 28 from Soap Lake. The deputy was reportedly heading west on SR-28, approaching the area of Stratford, when he saw a darker-colored vehicle approaching him in the oncoming lane. The deputy had to pull over to avoid getting hit and turned around to pursue VanTassell at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

The pursuit continued east toward Wilson Creek and VanTassell ultimately doubled back and started heading west toward Soap Lake on SR-28. VanTassell continued driving into the Lakeview community, where Ephrata Police Department officers set up spike strips at Road A and SR-28. The spike strips were effective and VanTassell’s vehicle came to a stop near Moses Street and Division Road.

When VanTassell’s bail was initially set in March, Chief Deputy Ryan Rectenwald told the court a sort of “manifesto” was found in VanTassell’s vehicle after he was arrested. He said VanTassell had been in a custody battle with his wife over their child and some of the documents in the manifesto read “you only get one shot” and “I’m the better parent.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.