A 33-year-old Shelton man was arrested Friday after breaking into the Willis Enterprises chip mill at Port of Grays Harbor Terminal 3 near Bowerman Basin, stealing a front-end loader and leading Hoquiam Police on a short chase that ended with a fence smashed, the loader stuck in a ditch and officers using a Taser to control the uncooperative suspect.
“Although officers of the department have pursued cars, trucks and motorcycles, this is the first front-end loader pursuit in recent memory,” said Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers.
Police were called to the terminal 400 Airport Way location, at 1:23 a.m. by an employee who told police a man was inside the fenced property driving a large front-end loader, said Myers.
Officers found a green Mazda sedan in the ditch at Airport Way and Moon Island Road occupied by a man and woman, said Myers. As officers entered the property, they could hear the loader running.
“Two officers drove deeper into the mill property (where) they located a large orange DL550 front-end loader,” said Myers. “The suspect was moving the loader back and forth inside of a small area. Officers activated their emergency lights, at which point the suspect drove briefly at the patrol cars before turning around and reversing direction.”
The loader took off at a high rate of speed west across the yard until the suspect stopped at a 40-foot section of chain link fence. After a brief pause, Myers said, the suspect suddenly accelerated and crashed the loader through the fence. The suspect then drifted right and slid into a ditch where, despite the suspect’s attempts, the loader got stuck.
The suspect and his dog fled, but officers chased him down. The suspect was ordered to surrender at gunpoint, but refused, so officers deployed a Taser to take him into custody, said Myers.
“As the suspect was directed to a nearby patrol car, he indicated he needed help. When officers asked what help he needed with, the suspect said he needed to go to rehab,” said Myers. “The suspect later told officers he had a severe addiction to methamphetamine and thought he was in Shelton. He felt he should not face charges because he just needed help with his drug addiction.”
Back at the green Mazda in the ditch, Myers said officers were able to determine the woman was the suspect’s girlfriend. A detective was called out to the scene to assist with interviews and collecting evidence.
“It would appear the suspect burglarized the mill site and stole the front-end loader in an attempt to pull their stuck vehicle from the ditch nearby,” said Myers.
The suspect was booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail on felony charges including burglary, vehicle theft, malicious mischief, eluding a pursuing police vehicle and resisting arrest, said Myers.
