Ferry County deputies shot out the tires of a stolen backhoe Tuesday after the suspected thief refused to stop driving toward an animal shelter he intended to tear down, the sheriff’s office said.
Clinton Caress was arrested on suspicion of theft. Additional charges are likely, Sheriff Ray Maycumber said.
The Ferry County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a contractor reporting that Caress had stolen a backhoe from the Catherine Creek area near Curlew, Washington.
The man intended to drive nearly 30 miles to Republic and tear down an animal shelter where his dog had been impounded, the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.
Deputies arrested Caress on outstanding warrants in Western Washington, Maycumber said. Carss couldn’t find anyone to take her dog and refused to make a deal with a local shelter for boarding, Maycumber said.
The shelter had no choice but to confiscate the dog, Maycumber said. A few days later, Caress returned after dealing with her court case and tried to get her dog back.
The shelter agreed to return the dog after the seizure was completed on Friday. Caress became angry with the staff and deputies were called to taser him, Maycumber said.
Shelter employees said Caress could return Friday just to get her dog back.
After receiving a report of the stolen backhoe, agents responded and, with the assistance of the Border Patrol, located the backhoe a few miles from where it was reported stolen.
Caress refused to stop, deputies said. When the backhoe came within a mile of the shelter, officers closed the road and fired a 12-gauge bullet into the front tires of the backhoe.
The use of the shotgun was discussed among the deputies, Maycumber said. He added that only shots were fired at the tires.
The backhoe slowed slightly but continued to drive until deputies also flattened the rear tires. The backhoe continued forward until the tires separated from the wheels.
Struggling to control the heavy machinery, Caress veered off the road and gave up.
Because of the “new” use of force, Maycumber asked the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a use-of-force review.
