Police arrest wanted man after six-hour search in Washougal

Police searched for two wanted men for about six hours Wednesday in Washougal, finally arresting one of the men after finding him hiding in the bedroom of a residence.

Law enforcement went to a residence, 919 10th St., at about 1:30 p.m. to locate two people who had active Department of Corrections warrants, Washougal Police Department detective Perry Houts said.

They didn’t find the original people they were searching for, but they found two people in the backyard who also had DOC warrants, Houts said.

The two men ran, prompting a six-hour search by a dozen officers from Washougal police, Vancouver Police Department, Camas Police Department and Department of Corrections. They also had assistance from a Multnomah County airplane, Houts said.

During the search, Vancouver K-9 officer Jack Anderson entered a residence in the 900 block of I Street, with permission from the homeowners and found and arrested one of the men, identified as Kevin Thwaits, 25, of Washougal, Houts said.

The other man, John Beecher, 28, of Washougal, was not located, Houts said.

Thwaits was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary, possession of heroin and a Department of Corrections warrant.