A wanted sex offender went from the can to the clink after a poolside standoff in Kennewick

A sex offender wanted for a series of felonies in Kennewick and Pasco went from the can to the clink this week.

Police have been hunting for Jose Franscisco Monzon since late March when he didn’t register as a sex offender, a requirement of a 2015 conviction for indecent exposure.

He added to his troubles when he ran from a Benton County deputy in Kennewick in April. The short chase ended in a crash and he ran from the scene, said sheriff’s officials.

Then, on Easter, he allegedly robbed his ex-girlfriend of her phone in Pasco.

Members with a U.S. Marshal’s fugitive task force learned Monzon was in the area of an apartment complex on 1001 W. Fourth Ave. When officers tried contacting him, he barricaded himself inside a public bathroom near the pool.

Police tried to talk Monzon into giving himself up, but instead he tried to break through a wall and escape. When he found police waiting for him, he retreated.

Officers forced their way in through the door, and arrested him.

He was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital for an evaluation then booked into the Benton County jail on a $20,000 warrant for failing to register as a sex offender and other warrants.

This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 11:17 AM.