Coupeville man charged with threatening grade schooler

Published 1:30 am Friday, January 30, 2026

A Coupeville man is in jail after allegedly threatening to kill an 8-year-old with a hammer on Jan. 23, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 33-year-old Denver O. Hanson in Island County Superior Court with felony harassment — threat to kill. He could face from one to three months in jail if convicted of the charge.

Hanson appeared in court Jan. 26 and Island County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Cliff ordered Hanson to be held in jail on $50,000 bail. She also found that his mental condition is such that he should be interviewed by a mental health professional for possible commitment to a mental health facility.

According to a police report, a deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office was familiar with Hanson, who was allegedly known for abusing methamephetamine and commonly ended up with drug-induced psychosis. Multiple times in the past, Hanson claimed children were crawling on his roof, planting cameras in his drywall and pulling off the siding of his house, the deputy wrote.

In one instance, Hanson pointed to the side of his house and claimed there was a giant hole where a child gained access, but there was no hole, the deputy wrote. In the past, the deputy contacted a designated crisis responder on multiple occasions to have Hanson involuntarily committed for mental health treatment.

On Jan. 23, Hanson’s neighbor called to report that Hanson was walking along the fence line while holding a hammer and yelling that he was “going to get” her child. The deputy responded and spoke to Hanson, who claimed that the neighbor child was harassing him and trying to enter his house. Hanson shined a flashlight on the side of his house, saying the child “planted” a hole on the siding.

In addition to threatening the child with a hammer, Hanson allegedly sat on his roof with a BB gun the prior day and yelled random things about children entering his house, the report states.

Several deputies went inside Hanson’s home and observed that he had torn down the drywall and insulation; he told deputies he was trying to find where the children placed the cameras.

The deputies arrested Hanson and found a glass pipe with small residue in his pocket, the report states.

The judge ordered Hanson to stay at least 500 feet from the mother and her child.