MYNORTHWEST NEWS

PHOTOS: Where not to hide from Thurston Co. deputies

Jun 6, 2019, 1:18 PM | Updated: 2:06 pm

Thurston County deputies find a suspect in an air vent at a home in Lacey, Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Thurston County Sheriff's Office) Thurston County deputies find a suspect in an air vent at a home in Lacey, Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Thurston County Sheriff's Office) Thurston County deputies find a suspect in an air vent at a home in Lacey, Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Thurston County Sheriff's Office) Thurston County deputies find a suspect in an air vent at a home in Lacey, Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Thurston County Sheriff's Office)

The suspect was full of hot air. He was all duct up. He really had to vent. Sure there’s some humor to be found from an incident in Lacey Thursday morning. But Thurston County Deputy Mitch King says that the situation could have turned out badly, even deadly.

King and another deputy were out in Lacey Thursday morning looking into a case involving a wanted subject for trafficking stolen property. That’s when they encountered two individuals outside a home.

“They were being pretty verbal with us and wouldn’t provide us with information for who they were,” King said. “I was able to find their booking photos through our jail system and determined that both of them had felony warrants.”

That’s when one of the individuals turned around and ran inside the home. The deputies had to request a search warrant to enter the home – that took about 45 minutes to an hour. Once inside the home, however, no one could be found. Three deputies and an officer from the Lacey Police Department searched room-by-room.

Horrifying hoax as men in plastic suits abduct 3 people
Pet killer could become Washington’s next serial killer

Eventually, Deputy King opened a door to small area where a heating unit was located.

“Right away I saw a chunk of flesh where his body had blown open the duct work, and I could see the stripes where his Calvin Klein underwear was hanging out,” he said. “So I called him by his name and asked if he was OK. It took him a while, and all he said was ‘Hey bro, I can’t breathe.’”

It took a little while to get the grown man out of the vent, shoes first. Deputy King says that somebody else had unscrewed the cover to the vent, the suspect then climbed in, and they screwed the cover back on behind him.

“How he got in there, and fit in there as long as he did, I have no idea,” he said. “He’s 6’ 5” and that space is barely big enough for a kid to hide in.”

“If we hadn’t have found him he probably would have gotten stuck in there…” King said, noting that the two people who helped him into the vent had left the residence. “If we hadn’t have found him in there, there’s a good chance he would have had a hard time breathing or would have expired in that vent.”

King said that on one level, sure, it’s humorous.

“But in the long run it’s a lot easier to deal with your warrants,” he said. “You’re eventually going to get caught on them. If we hadn’t have gone in there to look for him, there’s a good chance he would have been in there for hours, if not have passed away in that vent.”

MyNorthwest News

Photo: Lewis and Clark High School students thought quickly to save their track coach's life....

Julia Dallas

Spokane high school students save track coach’s life after his heart stops

Two Spokane high school students used their quick thinking and past training to save their track coach's life last week.

18 minutes ago

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

12 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

14 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

15 hours ago

Grocery store shopper...

Bill Kaczaraba

Ways to deal with Seattle grocery store sticker shock

Seattle grocery store sticker shock continues to play havoc on locals, but there are ways to counter high prices.

15 hours ago

belltown hellcat social media...

Frank Sumrall

Infamous ‘Belltown Hellcat’ social media influencer charged with reckless driving

The social media influencer has been accused of driving 107 miles per hour through Belltown in a Dodge Hellcat.

16 hours ago

PHOTOS: Where not to hide from Thurston Co. deputies