Shots fired in attempted burglary

An Elochoman Valley resident fired shots Monday to fend off an attempted burglary.

According to Sheriff Mark Howie, two men were seen putting items into a truck at a large storage barn in the 500 block of Elochoman Valley Road in the early morning hours of July 6. There had been a recent burglary at the address, and the owner and some of his neighbors were on alert. The burglary had not been reported to the sheriff’s office, but the individuals had set up surveillance cameras.

One of the men who responded to the larceny shot at the vehicle as the two suspects tried to speed away. He claimed that the truck was coming at him. According to Howie, the responder blew out two tires and shot through the front panel of the truck, disabling the radiator. The two subjects jumped out of the vehicle and ran.

The property owner then went to several nearby homes and asked neighbors to assist in the search for the two suspects. He also asked one to call 911.

Several officers responded.

“We set up a perimeter and requested a tracking dog from Longview. We were able to track the subjects to the river,” Sheriff Howie said.

Around 8:30 a.m., after the search had been given up, only Sheriff Howie and a deputy remained. Nearly seven hours after the initial call, they received a report that two men, disheveled and dirty, were seen walking near Monroe Acres. The two were quickly surrounded, taken into custody and read their rights.

“The subjects confirmed that they had crossed the river and traveled up a logging road, and finally ended up here at Monroe Acres,” Sheriff Howie said. “One of the men had the same last name as the owner of the truck. And there were the surveillance cameras. They were pretty much caught red handed.”

No one was injured in the incident.

“I want to stress that people call the sheriff’s office and report if there have been burglaries or thefts,” Howie said, “and not put themselves in a situation where they have to defend themselves or cause themselves to be in the middle of a shooting investigation.

"I want to remind people that you have to have a solid defensible reason to shoot or injure someone in the course of a theft.

“This could have been a different investigation if someone had been injured or killed,” Howie said.