Wild stories from Tri-Cities: From a crocodile attack to ‘junkyard’ dragon

The Tri-Cities has made headlines recently with a string of unusual stories ranging from a fitness trainer’s fight with a crocodile to a golden dragon statue recovered from a debris-filled yard.

Here’s a roundup of the strangest local news you might have missed.

Click the links to read the full stories.

• A 72-year-old Richland personal trainer survived a crocodile attack while swimming in Cozumel, Mexico, fighting off the 10-foot reptile as it clamped down on his arm and pulled him into a death roll. Story by Annette Cary.

• A 400-pound golden dragon statue stolen from a Richland lot was found buried in the debris at a notorious junk house on Hains Avenue after the thief’s estranged wife tipped off the owners. Story by Cameron Probert.

• That same junk-filled Hains Avenue home sold at a foreclosure auction for a fraction of its assessed value. Story by Wendy Culverwell.

• A separate Richland property on Pullen Street is buried under an estimated 155,000 cubic feet of debris, enough to fill more than 700 dumpsters, and the city is battling in court to clean it up. Story by Wendy Culverwell.

• Tri-Cities lawmakers secured $3.2 million to remove the largest unlicensed stockpile of old tires in Washington state — about 7,100 tons — from a site on Twin Bridges Road near the Richland landfill. Story by Wendy Culverwell.

• A suspected DUI driver led troopers on a 35-minute chase that ended with him leaping over a 7-foot Highway 240 sound wall before being found by drone in a nearby backyard. Story by Cameron Probert.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by Cory McCoy. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.