A judge ordered mixed martial arts champion Jeff Monson to surrender his passport Tuesday after Monson pleaded not guilty to malicious-mischief charges for allegedly spray-painting an anarchist symbol on the Capitol last year.

The order casts doubt on whether Monson will be able to appear in two scheduled fights overseas.

Monson, 38, has a fight scheduled in February in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in March in Tokyo. After Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joe Wheeler asked that Monson surrender his passport during Monson's arraignment Tuesday, Monson leaned over and whispered to Wheeler, "Are you going to support my family now?"

Monson's attorney, Legrand Jones, said he will file a motion to release Monson's passport in an effort to enable him to appear for his two scheduled overseas fights. Monson was not taken into custody during Tuesday's hearing, and he is allowed to remain free after posting $20,000 bail.

Wheeler argued in court that Monson is a flight risk, and because of Monson's anarchist beliefs, he "would have very little regard for following the orders of the court."

Monson disputed that during an interview after his arraignment.

"I've been here since I was a kid, 9 years old," Monson said of his roots in the Olympia area.

He added that he and his wife of 16 years have two children in the Tumwater School District.

"Everything I have in my life is here in Olympia," he said. "I just want to be able to make a living for my family."

Monson is charged with one count of first-degree malicious mischief, a class B felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. He was charged this month, partly based on photographs published in a profile of Monson in ESPN The Magazine in December, court papers state. One photo shows Monson spray-painting an anarchist symbol on the Capitol.

The Washington State Patrol has been looking for the people who spray-painted graffiti on columns on the north side of the Capitol since it was left there Nov. 26. The graffiti included anarchy symbols, a peace symbol and phrases such as "no war" and "no poverty."

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Hirsch said she considered the nature of Monson's malicious-mischief charge, as well as his pending criminal charge in North Carolina, in deciding to ask that he surrender his passport.

Monson was arrested Jan. 17 in Davie County, N.C., on suspicion of misdemeanor assault and property damage during an argument with a woman. The woman, who was uninjured, also was arrested for allegedly taking Monson's cell phone.

Monson returned to the Olympia area last week after posting bail in North Carolina.

Hirsch said in court that Jones can schedule a motion hearing on the issue of Monson being allowed to leave the country for his overseas fights.

During Tuesday's interview, Monson would not address his malicious-mischief charge. In a prior interview, he took responsibility for leaving the graffiti.

Monson said Tuesday that he does not want to go to jail.

Jones said he doubts a claim in court records that it cost the state $19,000 to clean the graffiti from the Capitol's columns. Monson added that if Monson is convicted, his standard range for the first-degree malicious mischief charge would be between zero and 90 days in jail, and Monson likely would not be sentenced to any jail time.

Monson has no criminal history, Jones said, and has a master's degree that allowed him to work as a mental-health counselor before he pursued his career in mixed martial arts. Monson, whose fighting nickname is The Snowman, is a Timberline High School graduate who was on the wrestling team at Oregon State University.

In December 2004, he won the Cage Warriors Fighting Champion heavyweight title in Sheffield, England, by defeating Tengiz Tedoradze with a submission hold in the first round. On Dec. 13, 2008, he won a match against Ricco Rodriguez in the Mixed Fight Alliance: There Will Be Blood event in Miami. He is listed as the world grappling champion.

Source: www.thenewstribune.com