One arrested after initially escaping law enforcement
Javier Nunez, 33, of George was arrested Thursday after running out of gas in Oregon. Nunez had initially been sought by authorities in Grant County, but eluded a multiagency search.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCSO
GEORGE — Oregon State Police have arrested a George-area man on Thursday who was wanted in connection with an assault on two Grant County Sheriff’s deputies earlier this week as well as for failing to register as a sex offender.
Javier Nunez, 33, was the subject of an intense, six-hour-long search on Wednesday by GCSO deputies as well as members of the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team and the Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team at a residence near S.R. 283 and Road 2 NW, according to GCSO Spokesperson Kyle Foreman.
“There were 30 guys out there,” Foreman said of the search. “We did a measured, methodical search of the property.”
Foreman said Nunez was apprehended by an Oregon State Police trooper after running out of gas near Klamath Falls on Thursday for failing to have ID while operating a vehicle, a legal requirement in Oregon.
“He is being held in Oregon pending extradition to Washington,” Foreman said.
Nunez was first approached by GCSO deputies on Sunday. Foreman said he kicked one deputy and bit another before fleeing. Law enforcement returned in numbers to search the property on Wednesday but failed to find any trace of Nunez during the search.
In addition to the assault charges, Nunez also had an outstanding warrant for third-degree theft and failing to register as a sex offender, Foreman said.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.