Man Jailed On $1 Million Bail After Police Seize Assault Rifle At Ellensburg Church

A Moses Lake man is behind bars after police say he was found in possession of several loaded firearms, including an assault rifle, during worship services at an Ellensburg church on Sunday.

The Ellensburg Daily Record says officers with the Ellensburg Police Department responded to the church in the 100 block of South Dennis Street at around 2 p.m. after receiving reports of two people who were acting suspiciously.

Upon their arrival at the scene, officers reportedly learned that 27-year-old Alexander Ziyad Mueller and his wife, whose name was not disclosed, were confronted by an off-duty police officer and a retired law enforcement professional who'd also been in attendance at the church service after the couple had been acting strangely.

Court records indicate the retired officer told responding officers that Mueller's wife appeared to be having a mental health crisis, after she was observed manically performing the signum crucis and making verbal overtures about wanting to "shoot church patrons."

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An incident report filed by police indicates the retired officer then discovered a 9mm handgun and a bag of ammunition in Mueller's possession, and a subsequent search of his vehicle in the church's parking lot turned up an AR-15 assault rifle, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition.

A further inspection of the rifle revealed it had been modified to fire as a fully automatic weapon.

Mueller reportedly told police that the couple lives in Moses Lake but attend church in Ellensburg and that he was carrying the firearms in the event he needed to protect his children, whom he'd dropped off at his parents house earlier that morning.

Meanwhile, Mueller's wife reportedly told officers that she suffers from mental health issues and hadn't been taking her prescription medications, adding that she frequently feels like demons are controlling her actions and that she was being “manipulated by government entities that use her body to carry out operations.”

She was taken to Kittitas Valley Healthcare for a mental health evaluation, while Mueller was arrested and booked into the Kittitas County Jail for unlawfully possessing a modified machine gun.

At Mueller's initial appearance in Kittitas County Superior Court on Monday, prosecutors said there had been as many as 60 parishioners inside the church on Sunday and Mueller had been found in possession of at least 90 rounds of ammunition.

They further expressed their beliefs to presiding Judge Chris Herion that the off-duty and retired police officers who confronted Mueller and his wife likely prevented what could have been a mass shooting at the church.

Although Mueller has no prior criminal record, Herion ordered him held on $1 million bail pending arraignment and possible trial.

As of Tuesday morning, Mueller was still being lodged in the Kittitas County Jail according to a records check.

Should he eventually plead guilty or be convicted of the illegal weapons charges against him, Mueller could spend up to three months in jail.