Elusive John Latch finally caught in Pacific County

A man by the name of John Latch has caused quite a stir between the counties of Grays Harbor and Pacific. The man has lead local law enforcement on a chase that has lasted from Thursday, May 19 until Thursday, May 26 and measured from Aberdeen to Brooklyn. It all started on Thursday, May 19 at around 11am as Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Deputies were called to a residence of the Olympic Highway area in reference to a vehicle prowl. Items stolen were a Washington State Disabled Parking Placard along with a Taurus .38- handgun. The deputies had no suspects at the time of that report, but on the same day, just two hours later deputies responded to another residence in the Olympic Highway area who reported that a subject was on a roof attempting to break into a neighboring residence. The man was seen fleeing into the woods, after which deputies and k-9 units responded. The man was not located, and the deputies believed the man to be a transient that they had contacted through the Aberdeen Police Department earlier in the day.

Three days later, on Sunday, May 22 at around 2:40pm, deputies responded to a report of a home in Aberdeen that had been ransacked, and the deputies discovered all that had been taken was jewelry. The reporting party later realized that two of their vehicles were stolen as well. Upon further investigation, it turned out that one of the stolen vehicles had already been impounded by the Washington State Patrol. When deputies contacted the Washington State Patrol Trooper who had impounded the vehicle, they found that the driver, who was Latch, lied to the trooper about who he was before a second trooper assisted with identification. At the time of the traffic stop, the vehicle was not reported to be stolen and so Latch was cited for speeding and released. The owners were able to recover their vehicle as well as their stolen jewelry.

Later on the same day of Sunday, May 22 the Pacific County Sheriff's Office was involved in a report of a theft on Brooklyn Road. The report described a male subject matching Latch's description that was prowling a logging site. The suspect had arrived in a pickup, but fled on foot as Pacific County Sheriff's Deputies arrived. A K-9 unit was again called in to assist with Latch, but the man was not located. Latch now had a warrant out for his arrest regarding his crimes in Grays Harbor County.

On Wednesday, May 25 at 8:35pm, the Pacific County Sheriff's Office requested assistance on a possible sighting of John Latch. A resident on North River Road reported seeing a male fleeing a residence and running into the woods. The deputies were unable to locate the man again.

The next day on Thursday, May 26 the Pacific County Sheriff's Office was advised that Latch was again seen in the same area, around North River Road. A deputy with a K-9 unit was already in the vicinity when the report came in. Latch was observed near Talley Road when he refused to stop at the order of the deputies. The K-9 was deployed and Latch fought with the dog for a moment before the two deputies were able to subdue the man. Latch struggled with the deputies before giving up and being taken into custody. Latch was transported to the Pacific County Sheriff's Office on this charges. Max the K-9 and the two deputies responsible for bringing Latch in did not sustain any injuries, though Latch did sustain some bite marks on his arms.