‘Noble intent’ lands Olympia man in jail

An Olympia man who entered a home with the “noble intent” of helping a woman he says he heard screaming ended up getting arrested on a burglary charge on New Year’s Eve.

According to reports by several Olympia police officers, Christopher Reddout, 39, was arrested after he and a woman reported a possible domestic disturbance and a residential burglary, respectively.

Reddout, who told police he was formerly a police officer in South Carolina, told a 911 dispatcher that he heard a man being hysterical with a woman. The suspect also disclosed that he was armed with a gun and said he would use it if the male attacked him or the female.

The female reporting party, meanwhile, told dispatchers that a stranger entered their home and pointed a gun at her boyfriend.

Reddout told police that he was in his apartment when he heard a woman yelling, “You’re hurting me, get off me,” prompting him to step outside to investigate while carrying a handgun.

The suspect said he found the unit where the screaming was coming from and entered it through the backdoor, which was open, then told the apartment’s occupants to “shut up” to get their attention.

He said

Reddout said he saw a man holding a woman by the wrists and pushing her into the dining room. The suspect added that he picked up a pot and threw it at the man after the male punched him in the face. Police reported that Reddout had a red mark on his face near his left temple.

The suspect said he then returned to his apartment to call 911 but later had to go back to the couple’s home to get their unit number for the dispatchers.

When he returned, Reddout said, the man ran at him yelling “You’re gonna get it, you f*cked up,” causing him to draw his handgun. The male ultimately turned away from the suspect, who then went back to his apartment.

She said

On the other hand, the woman told police that she and her boyfriend were arguing verbally, with no physical contact, when an unknown man, later identified as Reddout, opened their rear sliding door.

The woman said her boyfriend told Reddout to get out of their apartment, but the suspect picked up a dog bowl and threw it at them, hitting her in the ear. Her boyfriend then chased Reddout out of their apartment, she added. Police noted that she had a red mark near her left temple.

In his witness statement, the man said he and his girlfriend were arguing when a man entered their apartment, scaring their seven-year-old daughter.

The woman, however, told a police officer that their daughter was in her bedroom when the suspect entered their apartment. An officer noted that before the couple was temporarily separated during their investigation due to concerns of possible domestic violence, the boyfriend told the woman what he told law enforcement “in a possible attempt to get their stories to align.”

Police were not able to establish probable cause for domestic violence against the boyfriend but found reason to arrest Reddout on a burglary charge.

“Christopher did not appear to have any intent of committing a crime when entering the other apartment, and appeared to have noble intent, however went above and beyond what was reasonable for a non-police officer to do in that given situation and did assault a resident inside while armed with a firearm,” the officer wrote.

“Throughout my contact with him, it was apparent to me that Christopher genuinely thought he was helping the female when he went into the apartment,” he added.

Reddout was booked at the Thurston County Jail for first-degree residential burglary. His firearm was taken by police. A window was also damaged in the incident.