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A student was detained at River Ridge High School today after a search of his belongings revealed he was in possession of drugs and a loaded handgun.

According to an email sent by the school to parents, a staff member entered a restroom and observed alleged drug activity. School staff brought the student to the office where their belongings were searched and the drugs and handgun were found.

The student was immediately detained by the School Resource Officer and other responding Lacey Police officers. Due to the immediate response, the school did not need to go into lockdown, according to the message.

The school is working with police as they investigate.

A multi-agency cooperation resulted in the capture of a suspect for multiple felony crimes, including eluding and possession of a stolen vehicle, this morning in West Olympia. It started when the vehicle took off from Tumwater PD and Sheriff Derek Sanders – who took office 5 days ago – happened to be in the area.

Tumwater units were dispatched to a domestic disturbance in a vehicle at the Texaco station at Old Hwy 99 at Henderson Blvd. A male and a female were reported to be fighting in the vehicle, described as a 1990s Mitsubishi Mirage.

Tumwater units caught up to the vehicle in the area of Henderson Blvd & 53rd Ave, where it struck a Tumwater PD patrol car as it fled from officers northbound on Henderson towards Yelm Hwy.

Sheriff Sanders caught up to the vehicle near Henderson Blvd & 14th Ave SE where he spotted it driving backwards through a roundabout. He established reasonable suspicion for DUI and attempted to pull the car over, but it continued onto I-5 south.

The vehicle returned stolen, to a 1999 Mitsubishi Mirage that was stolen in Raymond on Wednesday. The vehicle continued northbound on US 101 to the Mud Bay Road exit, then eastbound on Mud Bay Road into Olympia city limits.

The vehicle then turned northbound on Yauger Way into the Grass lake neighborhood, where it collided with at least one parked car. It continued westbound on 6th Ave to Miter Dr NW at the dead end. The vehicle crashed into the tree line and the male driver and female passenger both fled on foot.

The Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from nearby agencies, including Olympia Police and Evergreen Police, who assisted with perimeter. WSP’s airplane “Smokey” responded, as did K9 Igo and his handler from TCSO.

Smokey was able to guide Deputies on the ground, and K9 Igo, to where the suspect was in the wood line between Kaiser Rd NW and Overhulse Rd NW. Deputies took the suspect into custody behind the Cornerstone Presbyterian Church on Overhulse Rd.

Aid was requested for the suspect, who had been struck with bean bag rounds. He was booked into the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of eluding a pursuing police vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, driving under the influence, and hit and run. Chehalis Tribal Police also had probable cause for the suspect after he was involved in a vehicle prowling and eluding there last night.

When an Olympia Police officer was dispatched around 9:00 am Saturday to take an auto theft report at the Les Schwab Tire Center on Plum Street, it seemed fairly routine. What followed was not routine at all.

When the OPD officer arrived, the victim told the officer that he had GPS tracking on his vehicle and it was currently pinging at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Grand Mound. Officers with the Chehalis Tribal Police Department were sent to check for the vehicle, but it was gone by the time they got there.

The victim continued to track the vehicle, which was now on I-5 southbound headed towards Centralia. Washington State Patrol and Lewis County agencies were notified.

The vehicle was tracked to a parking lot in Lewis County, where officers attempted to make contact with the driver. However, the vehicle took off onto I-5 northbound, and officers could not pursue it under RCW 10.116.060. They disengaged.

According to those familiar with the situation, the owner of the vehicle and/or their family were still tracking it and caught up to it in the area of 93rd Ave SW & Lathrop Industrial Rd SW in Tumwater.

That’s when the suspect reportedly rammed into their car, got out of the vehicle armed with a shotgun or rifle, and ran into the woods nearby. Initial scanner traffic indicated shots had been fired by the suspect. Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies and Tumwater Police set containment on the area and a K-9 was called in.

Several hours later, after we had posted the suspect’s description on Facebook, a resident in the 9900 block of Nunn St SE called to report a male matching the description had just ran through her backyard and jumped the fence into a nearby distribution center.

Tumwater officers received information shortly after that indicating the suspect was possibly hiding in the bathroom at Lincoln Creek Lumber (Ace Hardware) on 93rd Ave SW. Officers made contact with the suspect and took him into custody.

The 36 year old suspect has been booked into jail on numerous felony charges – including Assault 1st Degree, Attempted Robbery 1st Degree, Malicious Mischief 1st Degree, Possession of Stolen Property 1st Degree, Hit and Run, and Theft 3rd Degree.

A man was taken into custody late Thursday night following a standoff with police in Tumwater that lasted nearly 12 hours and resulted in gunfire being exchanged between the suspect and law enforcement.

Deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office attempted to evict the man from a residence in the 7100 block of Desperado Dr SE at approximately 10:30 am. They had previously attempted to evict him on September 21st which also resulted in a short standoff.

By noon, the Thurston County SWAT Team had been called out to assist. They attempted to negotiate with the suspect to peacefully exit the residence.

At approximately 6:20 pm, Deputies on scene advised the suspect had fired shots from the residence and appeared to be armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a hunting rifle. At 6:35 pm, the suspect continued to fire shots from the residence, and law enforcement returned fire. Around 7:00 pm, Deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department began arriving on scene to assist.

At 9:55 pm, Deputies advised that the suspect had surrendered and had minor injuries. He was evaluated by medics on scene and transported to the Thurston County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of 1st Degree Attempted Murder.

No law enforcement or bystanders were injured in the incident, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. The officer-involved shooting will be investigated by the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team, with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office as the lead investigative agency.

On Friday, March 26th, 2021, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Andrea Moore was working an overtime detail in the Pines neighborhood of Yelm. Around 8:00 pm, Deputy Moore was dispatched to a suspicious circumstance call at a residence on Holly St SE.

When Deputy Moore arrived at the residence, an elderly woman answered the door and there was a man standing right behind her. Seeing the concern on the woman’s face, Deputy Moore asked the woman to step outside. When she did so, the man behind her, Ronald Clayton, raised a large knife and stabbed the Deputy in the neck.

Moore drew her service weapon and shot the suspect several times, stopping the attack. She called out over the radio – “shots fired! I’ve been stabbed.” and Yelm Police officers and other TCSO deputies responded quickly. These Officers and Deputies, along with medics from Southeast Thurston Fire, performed live-saving treatments on Deputy Moore and she was transported to the hospital. She was in and out of consciousness and at one point she did not have a pulse.

Moore underwent surgery and made a full recovery. She now works as an Officer for the Lacey Police Department. On May 6th, 2022, Moore was awarded the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor by Governor Jay Inslee. This is the highest honor given to law enforcement in the state of Washington.

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Prior to the incident with Deputy Moore in March of 2021, Ronald Clayton was already a violent convicted sex offender.

When Clayton was 16, he knocked on a woman’s door, pointed a handgun at her, forced her into a bedroom, and raped her. He ransacked her apartment. When she wouldn’t leave with him, he strangled her with a cord and told her that he was going to kill her. And she was certain that he would. Eventually, he led her out of the residence at gunpoint. She ran to a neighbor’s residence and called police.

He was sentenced to just over 10 years in prison for that incident, and was released in 2011. He has been in and out of custody since, having been convicted for failing to register as a sex offender, and cutting off his GPS tracker. He was released sometime on Thursday, March 25th, 2021.

And at 1:40 pm on Friday, March 26th, 2021, Clayton cut off his GPS tracker. Again.

About six hours later, he was attempting to rape an elderly woman inside her home in the Nisqually Pines neighborhood of Yelm. A neighbor was concerned for the woman’s safety and called 911.

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Today, Ronald Clayton was sentenced to 26+ years in prison for the attempted murder of former Deputy, now Officer Moore.

Officer Moore provided the following Victim Impact Statement to the court:

“On March 26th 2021 you tried to kill me but couldn’t. I remember your demonic face sizing me up before charging at me… you had a goal to kill me… but look… you failed… I’m still standing.

It brings me great satisfaction being here. You have to sit in this court room…you have to listen to me and look at me ….a woman… yes me a woman… I brought you down. You failed at over powering me because again you’re a failure.

You’ve spent your pathetic life tormenting those you deem weak… you get off on thoughts of domination and disgust… but take a good look at me…all 5’1” 120lbs …you picked the wrong one. Little did you know my whole life was preparing for that moment. Every hardship I endured instilled a level of grit and resilience you’re no match for. I beat you and I could beat you over and over again.

I’ll live with the residuals of that day for the rest of my life…but I wouldn’t change a thing…I’m glad it was me. I hope you sit in prison and soak in the reality that you aren’t a man…you’ll never know what it means to be a man.

You only deserve a lifetime of misery with your constant companion…. failure. I never thought I’d say this but…I’m glad you survived the wounds I inflicted upon you…because I’d rather you sit and rot in your miserable shell and know I’m the one who put you there.”

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A 16-year-old Olympia boy who went missing on August 31 and was found safe on Tilley Rd S the next evening, has been arrested for murder by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

On August 31st, around 5:30 pm, Thurston County deputies were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle in the 16100 block of Tilley Rd S. They found a vehicle registered to the parents of 16-year-old Gabriel Davies. Davies’ parents said he was supposed to be going to football practice at Olympia High School at 4:00 pm, but he never arrived.

There was a small amount of blood and a smashed cell phone at the scene where his vehicle was located, leading Deputies to come to the conclusion that he was missing under suspicious circumstances.

After publishing information about the missing teenager online, TCSO Detectives received multiple tips from people who said they saw Davies walking alone on Tilley Rd at approximately 5:30 pm that night. Search and Rescue resources, including resources from Olympia Police, the FBI, WSP, and the WA State Parks Department, searched for Davies until they located him safe around 10:00 pm the next evening, September 1st.

Concurrently, at 9:26 am on September 1st, deputies in Pierce County say they responded to a welfare check at a residence in the 21900 block of 190th St E in Orting. They were dispatched because the 51-year-old resident had not shown up for work in 4 days.

Deputies entered the residence and located the man deceased from a gunshot wound. No firearm was nearby. Detectives from PCSD spent Thursday and Friday processing the scene. On Friday night, they had reached probable cause to arrest two 16-year-old males in connection with the homicide.

Gabriel Davies and another 16-year-old male were booked into the Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center in Pierce County on charges of Murder 2nd Degree, Burglary 1st Degree, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

A 31-year-old man was arrested for 2nd Degree Murder following an argument which led to a shooting at a residence on Libby Rd NE.

Deputies were dispatched to the residence in the 4400 block of Libby Rd NE around 10:30 pm on Monday for a report of a disturbance with shots fired. According to scanner traffic on the original dispatch, a man called 911 and told dispatchers he had shot someone who was attacking his roommate. He left his gun on the back porch and cooperated when Deputies arrived.

Arriving Deputies quickly detained the suspect and another female on scene. It’s unclear what involvement, if any, the female had in the incident. The 39-year-old male victim was deceased on scene with multiple gunshot wounds.

Deputies said that further investigation revealed an argument had transpired between the men, leading to the shooting. The suspect is being held in Thurston County Jail pending charges of 2nd Degree Murder.

Olympia Police are investigating after a man was dropped off at St. Peter’s Hospital on Saturday night with critical stab wounds to the neck, and the car that dropped him off sped off at a high-rate of speed.

Around 8:00 pm, staff at St. Peter’s called 911 when the male was dropped off. The vehicle that dropped him off was described as a 4-door grey Hyundai Sonata. Staff could only get a partial plate. The vehicle reportedly drove on Ensign Rd towards Martin Way, into oncoming traffic, at a high-rate of speed, according to scanner traffic.

Officers in the area began to search for the vehicle. Around 10:00 pm, officers were in the area of the homeless encampment on Wheeler Ave SE. One officer stated that he thought he had just found the crime scene.

A few minutes later, the vehicle in question was located inside the camp, which officers stated smelled like bleach. Other items of evidence were also located in the area, and the car was towed to the OPD jail as an evidence impound, according to scanner traffic.

Officers continue to investigate the stabbing, and the condition of the victim is unclear at this time.

WSP Troopers with assistance from their aircraft “Smokey” tracked a suspect vehicle in a weapons brandishing from Clark County to King County on Friday. When the vehicle pulled into an ATM in Auburn, Troopers moved in and made the arrest.

Around 12:00 pm on Friday, August 19th, WSP Dispatch received calls about the driver of a Toyota Camry brandishing a weapon at other drivers on I-5 north. Troopers located and attempted to stop the vehicle, but it fled. The vehicle returned as a stolen car and it was also involved in two recent shootings in the Portland area.

Troopers did not pursue the vehicle, but little did the driver know, he was being tracked by a WSP plane. He was tracked through Thurston County on I-5 north. The driver eventually pulled into a Heritage Bank ATM drive-thru in Auburn. Troopers were able to prevent the subject from escaping and made the arrest without incident.

Detectives are applying for a search warrant for the car, according to WSP. There was a gun in plain view on the floorboard. The suspect has been booked into King County Jail for eluding and possession of stolen property, pending additional charges.

“This is a tremendous example of coordination from WSP districts as this vehicle headed north from Vancouver.” WSP wrote in their press release. “The Aviation Section of the WSP played such a vital role in tracking this vehicle so troopers did not have to pursue. This was an awesome job with Districts 5, 1 and 2 as there was seamless communication and coordination with the aircraft to ultimately bring this to a close.”