Wash. Deputy Breaks Leg in Struggle with Suspected Car Burglar

A Yakima County sheriff's deputy broke a leg in a scuffle with a suspected car burglar on Nov. 6.

Jonathan Keith Dawson, 32, of Sunnyside is being held in the Yakima County jail on suspicion of second-degree burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, second-degree assault, third-degree assault of a police officer, second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree theft and resisting arrest.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the 13000 block of Van Belle Road around 2:20 a.m. Nov. 6 for a vehicle burglary. A man told dispatchers that someone he didn't know tried to break into his vehicle, and he last saw the person heading into an orchard, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Deputies did not see anyone when they arrived, but the man who reported the burglary said the suspect was hiding behind portable toilets stored in the area. Deputy Mitchell Wold saw Dawson come out of one of the toilets and called for backup, the affidavit said.

Wold was able to get one cuff on Dawson, who then pulled away as Wold pulled him to the ground, with Dawson ignoring orders to get down. The other deputy, Austin Cagle, pinned Dawson as he attempted to free his hands, the affidavit said.

In the struggle, Cagle hit Dawson in the upper chest, and Wold said he was injured. Dawson continued struggling and Cagle punched him in the face, while Dawson pushed him in the chest, the affidavit said.

Wold fired his Taser stun device at Dawson, but it was ineffective. Dawson tried to reach for a knife that had fallen out of Wold's vest in the struggle, but Cagle was able to get it away from him, the affidavit said.

When Dawson got up and tried to run, Cagle used his Taser twice on Dawson, knocking him down on the second shot, but Dawson got up and ran into a nearby canal, the affidavit said.

A patrol dog was sent in to track Dawson, who ran to a winery where he was subdued, the affidavit said. Deputies also found a forklift that had been stolen from a nearby business and driven into the canal.

Wold was taken to a hospital where he was treated for a broken shin bone, the affidavit said.

In addition to stealing the forklift, Dawson was also accused of damaging equipment inside the winery warehouse and stealing first aid supplies, the affidavit said. The damage was estimated at $8,100, with the forklift estimated at $15,000 in value.

Dawson was booked into the Yakima County jail.

At a Nov. 8 preliminary appearance hearing, Deputy Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Sam Chen asked for $20,000 bail, citing pending cases involving criminal trespass and resisting arrest and a warrant out of Alabama, which Chen argued creates a concern for public safety.

Defense attorney Melissa Derry said Dawson has family in the Valley, has been on public assistance and does not appear to have prior convictions. She asked that Dawson be released on pretrial supervision.

Yakima County Superior Court Judge Sonia Rodriguez True set bail at $5,000, noting that his out-of-state warrant gives her concern about Dawson's ability to come back for hearings if he's released.

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