A robbery on a Trout Lake logging company led to the arrests of two men by Klickitat County Sheriff’s Deputies on April 14, Combining forces were law enforcement officers from three counties and U.S. Forest personnel, including an aerial assist.
Klickitat Sheriff Bob Songer reported that at around 6:30 a.m., Mike Cochran of Cochran logging Co., located on Highway 141 near mile post 25, in the Trout Lake area, called 911 to report that he had caught two male subjects trying to steal items off of his heavy equipment. According to Songer, Cochran stated that the two subjects threatened him with a gun and left the area in a white pickup truck.
Deputies Dustin Vorce and Melissa Wykes responded along with Klickitat County Range Deputy Harold Cole, from the Glenwood. They began searching the area for the pickup truck and the two male suspects. Deputies requested a pilot to assist in the search. Retired Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler went airborne and began searching the Trout Lake area. He was able to locate the suspect vehicle from the air and directed deputies to the suspects’ apparent location, according to Songer.
One of the suspects, John Robert Walker, 23, from Goldendale, was taken into custody after a foot chase, Songer reported.
Klickitat County Sheriff Sgt. Joe Riggers and K-9 Deputy Gavin Marble, along with a Skamania County Deputy and USFS, joined the search for the second suspect who fled from the truck and ran into the timber.
After several hours of searching, Vorce contacted the suspect walking on the road and took him into custody. The second suspect was identified as John Scott Raczykowski, age 26, from Rufus. Both suspects were transported to the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office Jail and booked on the following charges, according to Songer: Walker was charged with an outstanding felony warrant for failure to appear on a Drug Charge, Bail $25,000. He was also charged with Robbery in the First degree and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, second degree, and Obstructing an Officer.
Raczykowski was charged with Robbery in the First Degree and Felon in Possession in the second degree and Obstructing a law enforcement officer.
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