Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tyler Kullman and his partner K9 Khan located 35-year-old Timmothy J. Lafontaine hiding in old abandon vehicle after he fled on foot from a residence. Lafontaine had a felony Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) warrant for his arrest, was possibly armed and fled prior to deputies arriving.
On November 6, 2016, at approximately 8:45 a.m., Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a residence located in the 6900 block of South Craig Road in west Spokane County.
Deputies learned Lafontaine was high, possibly armed with a knife and had a valid felony DOC warrant for his arrest. Deputies began looking for Lafontaine, including the crawlspace under the trailer. Unable to locate Lafontaine and after several unanswered announcements were made for Lafontaine to come out of hiding, Deputy Kullman and K9 Khan were called to the scene to assist.
Once on scene, Deputy Kullman gave several additional unanswered warnings K9 Khan would be used to locate Lafontaine and if located, K9 Khan would bite him. K9 Khan searched under the trailer and the backyard without success. As Deputy Kullman and K9 Khan continued to search the surrounding area, K9 Khan’s ears perked up and he began working toward a tree line at the edge of the property. Deputy Kullman gave several more unanswered announcements as they worked toward an abandon vehicle. At the vehicle, K9 Khan stood up on his back legs, barked, and jumped through the open driver’s window. Khan contacted Lafontaine who was hiding in the trunk of the vehicle under a bunch of clothes and junk.
Once contacted by K9 Khan, Lafontaine complied with commands and was safely taken into custody by Deputy Matt Gould. Deputies also located a clear plastic bag containing a white crystal substance. The substance was field tested and showed a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine.
Lafontaine told Deputy Kullman K9 Khan did a “phenomenal job” finding him and thanked Deputy Kullman for showing “great restraint” and handling his dog well. Lafontaine continued his praise by stating, “God bless you and your dog. Your dog is a bad (expletive).”
Lafontaine received medical attention before being transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail for the felony DOC warrant and new charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine and Obstructing Law Enforcement.