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Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two suspects with the help of a K9 after an interrupted burglary in Chehalis Thursday morning.
Russell L. Cobb, 44, of Kent, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault and first-degree burglary. He is expected to also be booked for another first-degree burglary charge, unlawful possession of a firearm and felony eluding. Other charges are also expected, according to a press release.
Theresa L. St. Clair. 30, of Renton, was booked for first-degree burglary. Additional charges are pending.
The duo’s burglary in the 100 block of Linda Vista Drive at 11:09 a.m. was interrupted when a woman called 911 to report seeing suspicious people at her neighbor’s home.
Cobb and St. Clair left in a Honda Accord, which had been stolen from Fife on Nov. 30, when they realized they had been seen.
A deputy responding to the report stopped the vehicle in the 2100 block of Jackson Highway. According to the release, Cobb and St. Clair acted nervous and credit cards were strewn about on the floor of the car.
When a Chehalis Police Department vehicle arrived as backup, Cobb drove off and didn’t stop when the deputy activated his emergency lights.
The Accord nearly hit a Chehalis police vehicle before hitting water on the roadway near Second and Market streets. The car spun out of control and hit a concrete pillar in a parking lot.
Cobb and St. Clair got out of the vehicle and began running. Law enforcement officers caught St. Clair in the parking lot.
With the help of police dogs, officers found Cobb hiding in the basement of a house in the 200 block of Washington Street.
The occupant of the house was home at the time, but not aware Cobb was in his basement.
Both suspects were arrested; Cobb had two outstanding felony warrants.
Deputies are writing a search warrant for the vehicle, which appeared to have many stolen items in it.
The Sheriff’s Office is waiting for information from the victims of the initial burglary to determine if anything was stolen. The suspects had stacked up firearms inside the house in preparation to steal them before being interrupted, according to the release.
