by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
June 4, 2026
A 21-year-old Washington resident faces multiple charges after allegedly vandalizing the state Capitol building in Olympia Thursday morning, using big rocks and his fists to smash several windows and damage entry doors, police said.
Clayton Stephen Seaborn damaged two large doors and shattered 13 windows on the west and northwest sides of the Legislative Building, Washington State Patrol said in a news release. Police said he was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.
Seaborn didn’t succeed in getting inside the building as security film applied on the windows following a vandalism incident last fall held broken pieces together as intended.
“It worked. The good news is he did not get in,” Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said Thursday morning.
At about 1:15 A.M., a state trooper near the Capitol heard loud noises and saw a man throwing large rocks at the first-floor windows. As another trooper arrived on scene, the suspect fled in a white 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and a pursuit ensued involving additional state patrol and Olympia police officers, according to the news release.
State Patrol said the man, later identified as Seaborn, traveled on the power station service access road on the east side of Capitol Lake then drove across a wooden bridge on a pedestrian walkway before crashing. Authorities found the suspect lying on his stomach near the railroad tracks at the south end of Marathon Park.
One state patrol vehicle suffered minor damage when it was struck by the suspect’s car. No officers were injured, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Seaborn was booked into Thurston County jail on charges of second-degree assault and first-degree malicious mischief, both felonies, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
This is the second vandalism incident in recent months on the same side of the Capitol building.
In October, a hammer-wielding man broke in through a window. Once inside, he set fires and toppled two iconic busts.
Gunnar McLean Schubert, 29, faces charges of second-degree burglary, a felony, and third-degree malicious mischief, a gross misdemeanor.
He’s out of custody and is yet to be arraigned as he awaits a court-ordered mental health evaluation to determine if he is mentally capable of proceeding with his case. If he is found incompetent, he will be admitted to an involuntary treatment facility.
Schubert’s next court appearance is Aug. 31.
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