Pierce County K9 Catches Suspect Hiding In Mattress 'Sandwich'

FREDERICKSON, WA — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is celebrating one of their K9s after it helped out with a bizarre arrest Monday.

According to deputies, on Monday morning the Crime Suppression Team went out to search for a fugitive, a man wanted for violating a domestic violence no contact order and suspected of being involved in a recent casino theft. Investigators said they had a tip that the 33-year-old suspect might be hiding out in a home on 180th Street East in Frederickson, and brought the K9 Brix and his handler to help in their search.

Upon arriving at the suspected hideout, deputies surrounded the house before entering. Inside, they found the suspect's girlfriend, who they say stalled for time, telling deputies she hadn't seen the suspect in over a year. But officers say that wasn't enough to convince them to leave, and they continued to search the home and yell out warnings to the suspect.

Eventually, after failing to get the suspect to turn himself in, deputies called Brix in to sweep the house, and the dog went to work— quickly jumping upon a pair of mattresses stacked on top of each other in one of the bedrooms. After Brix sniffed around the sides of the mattresses and indicated that something might be underneath them, his handler peeled back the corner of the top mattress, only for Brix to dive right in.

The suspect was hiding inside.

Deputies say Brix burrowed between the stacked mattress "sandwich" and latched on to one of the suspect's arms, pulling him from his hiding spot. The suspect has been taken into custody and booked into the Pierce County Jail. Several objects stolen in the prior casino theft were also found around the house, and have since been returned to their rightful owners.