Domestic violence call prompts SWAT response

DULUTH — A daylong police blockade of a Battle Ground-area neighborhood ended with the arrest of a man who allegedly used a gun to threaten his girlfriend Saturday morning.

Dewey Edward Walch, 45, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault after emerging from a camp trailer near his house at 808 N.E. 189th St. about 4:30 p.m.

Police responded to a domestic violence report at 9:52 a.m., Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Trimble said.

Walch couldn’t be found and didn’t emerge from a nearby camp trailer until after officers set off a concussive “distraction device.” Trimble said Walch did not have a gun with him when he emerged, and was arrested without incident.

“He claimed he was just napping,” Trimble said.

If so, he’s quite a heavy sleeper.

Walch had disappeared when officers responded to the domestic violence call. Concerned that an armed, agitated assailant could be roaming the neighborhood, police closed streets and evacuated a half-dozen homes as they methodically searched the area. They used a bullhorn to call to the man, with no response.

Police also closed off a wider area to passing traffic. The Washington State Patrol closed Northeast 10th Avenue at 179th Street, the main Interstate 5 exit to the county fairgrounds.

All told, Trimble said, the operation involved a couple dozen officers from a multi-agency tactical team.