Burglary Suspect Crashes Through Ceiling Into Sheriff's Handcuffs

TACOMA, WA - The Pierce County Sheriff's Office last week thanked local residents for tips that led to the arrest of a residential burglary suspect who'd eluded capture since failing to appear for court in November 2018.

Nicholas Franklin Thompson, 27, was taken to Pierce County Jail following his Feb. 21 arrest. He is being held for resisting arrest and on warrants for residential burglary, trafficking stolen property, unlawful possession of a controlled substance (heroin), and taking a motor vehicle without permission. His bail is set at more than $25,000.

Thompson was one of two men arrested last October for allegedly breaking into a Lake Tapps home and stealing a kayak, generator, lawn mower, and a variety of tools.

Thompson and his supposed accomplice, Austin Lane Smith, were arrested after attempting to sell the stolen items on OfferUp.com, an odds-and-ends sales app and website.

According to court documents, the burglary victim found adverts for his stolen property and contacted Pierce County detectives. Undercover detectives then arranged to meet with Thompson and Smith to purchase the kayak; however, deputies arrested both men when they showed up to the meeting with the stolen property — and in a stolen car.

Following the arraignments of both men, Smith pleaded guilty and was convicted Nov. 15, 2018, on charges of residential burglary and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle. Thompson, however, failed to appear for court after his release, so a bench warrant was issued for his arrest on Nov. 21.

On Feb. 21, after Pierce County deputies received tips from viewers of Washington's Most Wanted who knew where investigators could find Thompson, deputies and K9 units converged at a home along 99th Street East in the Midland area. After Thompson did not respond to demands he come out on his own, law enforcement sent in the K9 unit.

Searching for Thompson throughout the house, deputies eventually heard noise coming from the home's attic. That's when they sent K9 officer Dan into the attic space to root Thompson out of hiding.

Thompson tried to flee when confronted by the police dog, but the strength of the ceiling gave way under his weight and he came crashing through into a bedroom, Pierce County sheriff's officials said.

After falling through the ceiling, Thompson ran through the front door of the home only to find several sheriff's deputies waiting for him outside. Failing to give up easily, Thompson went head-on into a sheriff's patrol vehicle and knocked himself down, PCSO spokesman Det. Ed Troyer told Q13 News in Seattle. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Thompson made his first court appearance Friday, Feb. 22. His next court hearing, a pre-trial conference, is set for March 7. Should the case go that far, Thompson's jury trial is tentatively scheduled to begin April 15.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Puyallup Patch)