A man was hospitalized with internal injuries Tuesday after he reportedly fell 40 to 50 feet from a tree while hiding from officers investigating a burglary at Skateland.
When Thurston County sheriff’s deputies and a Lacey police officer with a dog found the suspect about 3:45 p.m., he was lying on the ground. The man said he’d been hiding there, court papers state.
The 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary and second-degree possession of stolen property after police found a stolen laptop computer belonging to Skateland’s owner in a backpack outside the business. It was near where the suspect had fled through Skateland’s back door, court papers state.
Also according to court papers:
When police found the suspect, he was covered in branches that had fallen on him and said he couldn’t move. As a deputy cleared the branches away, the man said, “just shoot me now,” then cried. He was unable to move his left arm and right leg.
The suspect said he’d recently been convicted of another burglary in Olympia and likely would face prison because of his history. He said he committed that burglary because he is homeless.
Asked why he was in Skateland, he said, “I can’t answer that because I don’t want to be charged with any new crime.”
Deputies were dispatched to Skateland, in the 1200 block of South Bay Road in Olympia, after an employee who had just unlocked the door and entered the business saw a suspicious man hiding behind a concrete partition. The employee called 911 after the man fled.
The employee later identified the suspect.
About $55, credit cards and other items also were reported missing. Most of the items were found outside the business.
Court papers also indicate the suspect might have spray-painted graffiti on the inside and outside of Skateland.
The suspect was released from Providence St. Peter Hospital on Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was scheduled to have a preliminary appearance before a Superior Court judge Thursday.
jpawloski@theolympian.com
360-754-5445
theolympian.com/thisjustin
@JeremyPawloski
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