BREMERTON – A Bremerton transient was charged with assault in the second degree and felony harassment/threats to kill after he allegedly beat a man unconscious and then threatened to kill people at the Bremerton Salvation Army.

According to a Bremerton Police Department report, Cherilee Ramsey and her husband, Scott Ramsey, run the Salvation Army at 832 Sixth St. in Bremerton. Since August, they allowed Desmond Eugene Malcom, 37, and his wife, Deanna, to stay on the property in their truck and camper, and to use their electricity because the Malcoms were homeless. The Ramseys also gave Deanna a job there. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Deanna became upset because someone had stacked boxes outside her office door, according to court documents. She went to get Desmond Malcom who then approached a man who was unloading a truck in the back of the Salvation army. Malcom allegedly grabbed the man by the throat, slammed the man into the ground and punched him until he became unconscious.

Malcom then went looking for Scott Ramsey. Cherilee Ramsey came out of her office and told Malcom that Scott was not there and told Malcom he needed to leave the property.

“Desmond, who witnesses said was enraged, told Cherilee he had a gun and was going to shoot everyone and blow the place up,” according to the statement of probable cause. As a result, Cherilee had feared for her life.

Malcom and his wife left in their truck but they were stopped nearby and Malcom was arrested.

The man who had been punched suffered from a swollen left eye and was transported to Harrison Medical Center. The man did not not have a concussion.

Malcom was originally booked on assault in the fourth degree – a misdemeanor – and posted bail. But police later found probable cause to arrest Malcom for assault in the second degree.

Bail was set at $200,000.