Suspect back in jail after threats
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 28, 2026
A North Whidbey man who was accused of threatening a roommate after firing a rifle out the door on April 18 is back in jail.
Prosecutors charged 39-year-old Anthony D. Soto in Island County Superior Court on April 21 with felony harassment and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.
Soto’s roommate barricaded himself in his room after Soto brandished a rifle and threatened to kill him, according to a deputy’s report. The roommate escaped out a window with his dog.
Both the Island County Sheriff’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office recommended that Soto be held on $50,000 bail. The arresting officer wrote that Soto “is a threat to the community as, without regard to anyone’s safety, he shot six rounds in the exact direction of someone’s house having absolutely no regard for human life.”
At a preliminary hearing on April 19, Superior Court Judge Christon Skinner set Soto’s bail at $1,500 cash or a $10,000 bond. Soto coordinated with a third party to post the cash bail and was released April 10, according to court documents, but he was back in jail five days later.
On April 24, the prosecutor’s office filed a motion to revoke Soto’s pretrial release. The motion states that Soto immediately violated the court’s orders and committed new crimes after being released on bail. Soto allegedly threatened to kill those he believed were responsible for his loss of a job after he was arrested, the report states.
Specifically, Soto’s co-workers reported that he threatened to run them over and to “take them out” while they were sleeping, a police report states. The co-workers said Soto previously bragged about his violent history and told them he killed a man in California.
The motion also describes a 2007 incident in California in which Soto poured gasoline on a man and set him on fire. After the victim put the fire out, Soto beat him. Then Soto and others restrained the man, put him in a bathtub and kicked him numerous times, the report states.
Soto was convicted of arson causing great bodily harm and was sentenced to prison. In 2016, he was charged with robbery and battery with great bodily harm, but the charges were dismissed and Soto was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, the motion states.
In response to the motion, Judge Carolyn Cliff ordered a bench warrant on Soto with bail set at $250,000.
Soto was taken into custody and appeared in court again Monday. Deputy Prosecutor Michael Safstrom argued that Soto’s bail should be revoked but also said the $250,000 bail is appropriate.
Soto’s attorney, Claire Highland, argued against revocation or a high bail amount. She pointed out that the arson-related crime in California was happened nearly 20 years ago and that Soto served his time, though she said it was a “relatively low sentence.” She said the details of the arson were “particularly inflammatory” but that the judge already considered them when setting Soto’s original bail.
Skinner, however, said he was concerned that Soto allegedly sought to intimidate witnesses within days of being released from jail. Under the terms of his release, Soto was ordered not to commit any crimes.
Skinner ordered Soto held on a $150,000 performance bond or a $20,000 cash alternative.
