He pointed a sawed-off shotgun at a deputy, charges say. He may be hiding in the Tri-Cities

Police are asking for help finding a man who is supposed to be confined to his Burbank home after he pointed a shotgun at a Walla Walla County deputy.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is asking people to keep an eye out for Jason L. Rhoades, 45, after a Walla Walla County judge issued a warrant for his arrest late last week.

Rhoades is facing a February trial on charges of first-degree assault, unlawfully having a gun and having a sawed-off shotgun.

The deputy was responding to a report of a drunk man with a shotgun on Hanson Loop in late June, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported. When the deputy arrived, he found Rhoades sitting in a pickup.

As the deputy went to talk to his mother, Rhoades got out of the truck, went into the house and grabbed a sawed-off shotgun. When the deputy tried going inside, Rhoades pointed the gun at him, said investigators.

The Walla Walla County wanted bulletin issued for Rhoades, says he is believed to be staying in Finley with a woman named Angela.

Officials claim he’s fled from charges before and that he told others he planned to leave the state. He also has talked about buying stolen guns in the Tri-Cities, said the bulletin.

Anyone with information on Rhoades is asked to call the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at 509-628-0333 or the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office at 509-524-5400.