Watch: Thurston County deputies go fishing for suspected drug dealer

Thurston County deputies captured a suspected drug dealer with a unique device this week.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) released a video of deputies using a Grappler unit to stop the suspect trying to outdrive police in a Prius. A Grappler is a netting device police use to stop a vehicle during a pursuit. It’s attached to the front bumper of a police car and wraps around the rear tire of the suspect’s vehicle. 

“The odds of being a successful drug dealer in Thurston County are becoming slimmer with every passing day, but those odds get even lower when your getaway car is a Prius,” Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders joked in a Facebook post Thursday.

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Sanders explained the Olympia Police Department (OPD) was notified a Flock camera picked up a car being driven by a suspected drug dealer officers were looking for. The suspect was known to be armed with a handgun, Sanders stated.

He said OPD officers followed the suspect down Interstate 5 (I-5) and asked for help from the sheriff’s office with a Grappler unit.

“Unfortunately for this particular drug dealer, TCSO had 20+ deputies, multiple K9s, and multiple grappler-equipped vehicles on patrol tonight,” Sanders wrote.

Deputies tried to pull the car over, but the driver took off, at which point Sanders said he authorized deputies to pursue the suspect. Sanders said the suspect exited onto Maytown Road and then down Case Road when the grappler was deployed, successfully stopping the suspect. He added the patrol vehicle was not damaged.

The suspect was then taken into custody with the help of K9 Asher, according to Sanders. Deputies found an empty holster on the suspect and saw drug paraphernalia in the car. Sanders stated a search warrant was granted, which led to the discovery of narcotics, scales and baggies inside the car.

“One of our deputies asked the suspect what you’re supposed to do when the police activate their lights, to which he replied ‘Hit the gas,'” Sanders wrote.

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The sheriff added the suspect had multiple warrants out for his arrest, including a felony DOC escape warrant and warrants for violating a domestic violence protection order. The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail for his warrants, possession of narcotics with intent to deliver and attempting to elude police.

“Solid teamwork across the board tonight, great job by OPD for locating this individual to help get another drug dealer off our streets,” Sanders wrote.

Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X and email her here.