GCC-Affiliated Candidate Matt Van Bogart Arrested with Gun at Sea-Tac in 2019

Grace City Church-affiliated school board candidate Matt Van Bogart was arrested with a gun at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on…

Grace City Church-affiliated school board candidate Matt Van Bogart was arrested with a gun at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on September 4, 2019, according to Port of Seattle Police Department reports.

According to Port of Seattle officer M. Arneson, who arrested Van Bogart, TSA agents noticed a firearm in the x-ray at security checkpoint one, lane two, and called for Port Police.

“Upon arrival, I saw one male, later identified as Matthew Van Bogart, talking to TSA and standing near the x-ray screening area,” the officer wrote. “The firearm and a small black duffel bag it was in were still located inside the x-ray.”

Officer Arneson took a photo of the x-ray screen and then had a TSA remove the bag. He then searched the bag.

“I located the firearm inside the main compartment of the black duffel bag. Inside the bag I could see a small black zippered case,” he wrote. “The case was unzipped, and I was able to see the handgun without manipulating or moving the bag.”

At this point the officer read Van Bogart his Miranda rights, placed him under arrest and put him in handcuffs. The officers took Van Bogart to a booking and holding area. Officer Arneson then did a more thorough search of the bag and took the gun out of the case. The gun, a Smith and Wesson “Bodyguard” 380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, was unloaded and “had a lock affixed through the firing action,” according to the report.

At this point Van Bogart agreed to provide a written statement, which read:

“My firearm was packed in my bag over the holiday weekend and I forgot to unpack it when I packed my bag again for a business trip,” Van Bogart wrote. “I packed my bag myself and am sorry for this mistake.”

According to the officer, it’s a small bag. Van Boart said he packed it himself and says he didn’t notice the gun when he did. According to the report it’s then that the officer reads Van Bogart the statement and “the perjury statement verbatim.” Van Bogart signed the form and made no corrections to his statement.

Officer Arneson then issues Van Bogart a criminal citation for “Weapons Prohibited In Certain Places.” That certain place, in this case, being an international airport. Here are those two pages of the report.

Something else notable about this very serious situation what another officer on scene wrote about Van Bogart.

In case the handwriting is not legible, he writes:

“During our conversation, the passenger (Van Bogart) asked if he could return his bag to his car.”

For good measure, here’s a copy of Van Bogart’s written statement.

According to King County District Court records, he put in a not guilty plea to the charge and the charge was dismissed with prejudice on Aug. 31, 2020. “Dismissed with prejudice” means the charge cannot be refiled within the statute of limitations, it is not a statement on how the court or the judge feels about the case or the charge.

A Question of Judgment

Although this is a 2019 case and the incident occurred at Sea-Tac Airport, it’s still relevant information for Wenatchee voters deciding on the future of our school board right now.

It’s in the public interest to release this information because it highlights the judgment, or lack thereof, of Matt Van Bogart.

If he was a private citizen this would not be newsworthy. But he is running for public office and one of the things rational voters want from their elected representatives is good judgment.

I have my own opinions about his judgment, but I am just one person and I only have one vote. The real question is: After reading this what do YOU think about Matt Van Bogart’s judgment?

The last thing I will share is a quote from the very helpful source that sent this report my way. It’s regarding our post 9/11 reality and responsible gun ownership:

“Anybody that would either forget or even attempt to bring a firearm on a plane after 9/11 is just asking for trouble,” he said. “I was in law enforcement for 20 years. I knew where my firearm was even when I was asleep.”