Fired K9 reserve officer released from Pasco jail after DUI, assault arrest
A former reserve police officer is out of jail days after fighting with a Franklin County deputy while being arrested for drunk driving north of Pasco.
Shane Jones was released from the Franklin County Jail on Monday afternoon on a $20,000 bond.
The 49-year-old former K9 officer had been held since Thursday evening on suspicion of first-degree assault, hit-and-run, possession of a stolen vehicle, DUI and resisting arrest.
Prosecutors had not filed charges by Monday.
A judge last week ordered Jones to stay at his Moses Lake home and not to leave Grant, Chelan, Benton or Franklin counties if he posted bail. He’s also forbidden from having alcohol or driving without a valid license.
Jones, a retired Okanogan Sheriff’s deputy, was working as a reserve police officer in the small Grant County city of Soap Lake for about four months.
He was driving his police car with his police dog, K9 Basco, south from Moses Lake on Highway 17 on Thursday, Feb. 18. As he was turning onto Highway 395, he rear-ended a car and drove away, according to the Washington State Patrol.
He then headed south and lost control of the patrol car just north of Pasco and ended up stuck in the snow.
By the time a Franklin County sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Hill arrived, four other drivers had stopped to help Jones, including a semi truck driver who was trying to pull the police car out of the ditch.
When the sergeant started investigating Jones for DUI and tried to arrest him, Jones reportedly started fighting.
At one point, Jones seemed to be reaching into his jacket for something. Hill said in court documents that he believed Jones was reaching for a gun or to release the police dog from his car to attack him. So, he asked the passersby to help him hold Jones down.
Investigators later found four beer bottles inside of the patrol car, along with Jones’ badge and gun.
The Soap Lake police chief told the Herald that Jones has since been fired and is under investigation for stealing the patrol car because he had no official reason to have it near Pasco.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:27 PM.