Two Rainier men arrested Tuesday after fleeing stolen vehicle
Two men from Rainier were arrested early Tuesday after fleeing a stolen vehicle, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office says. The saga started when a car ran into a pole near Yelm.
About 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies and Yelm Police officers responded to a report of a car-versus-pole collision at Vail Road Southeast and Cook Road Southeast, Lt. Ray Brady told The Olympian. A black Toyota had crashed into a utility pole, cutting power to nearby homes.
Witnesses said they heard an argument and saw two people take off running, Brady said. Law enforcement officers were trying to locate them when a “suspicious vehicle” with two people inside drove by the collision scene, Brady said.
A deputy checked the plate and found the blue Chevy SUV had been stolen from Olympia, according to Brady.
Deputies attempted to catch up with the stolen SUV, but the people fled from the vehicle before that was possible, Brady said. Deputies found the SUV in woods near Cook Road and initiated a K9 track.
The K9 led to the driver of the SUV, a 44-year-old man from Rainier, who was hiding in the bushes and gave himself up when he heard the dog coming, Brady said. The K9 found the second suspect, a 32-year-old Rainier man, at a nearby home on the 18800 block of Cook Road.
Both men were arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle.
As of Tuesday morning, deputies had not drawn a direct link between the two suspects and the initial car-versus-pole hit-and-run, according to Brady. He said that car’s registered owner told deputies the car had been sold, but they weren’t sure to whom.
Anybody with information is asked to call Thurston County 911 dispatch at 360-704-2749.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 9:11 AM.
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