Clark County deputies pursued a man Friday sought on an arrest warrant who went into the Hazel Dell Walmart where he changed clothes before using a fire exit.
Sgt. Craig Randall said Justin Eugene Godsey, 25, was apprehended and arrested on suspicion of two counts of unlawful imprisonment and attempted vehicle theft.
Godsey was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant, Randall said.
Deputies were called to the store by an acquaintance of Godsey’s, according to the sergeant. Godsey and two others, a man and woman, had been living and partying in a car for several days, at times using methamphetamine, he said.
On Friday morning, meth and money went missing, and Godsey blamed his fellow partiers, said Randall. The car belonged to the other man, but Godsey refused to let him or the woman leave as two guns rested in his lap, he said.
The car was dead, however. So Godsey instructed the man to go steal jumper cables from Walmart. Instead, the man called 911. He told a deputy what happened and backup officers were called to the scene.
Deputies spotted and planned to approach Godsey around 11 a.m. in the store’s parking lot but decided against it due to the firearms, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office deployed an armored vehicle to apprehend the potentially armed man.
Godsey exited the vehicle and entered Walmart as the armored vehicle was pulling into the parking lot. Dispatchers called the store to warn it about the response, but it’s unclear if anyone got the message. The store did not go into lockdown, Randall said.
Godsey entered the store and ditched a gray sweatshirt, and he was thought to be wearing all black clothing and a gold chain, according to the scanner. He used the fire exit, and deputies began chasing him.
The chase moved away from Walmart to the south. Godsey headed in the direction of Highway 99 but was challenged by two Washington State Patrol troopers in the area. He turned around and headed toward the intersection of Northeast 8th Avenue and 86th Street.
Deputies found and apprehended Godsey without incident behind a motor home parked along 86th Street. He followed officers commands when he was found.
Officers later discovered two firearms in the stolen vehicle: a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a .22 caliber Luger-style pistol, said Randall.
