Tri-Cities man chokes mom with extension cord, then hides in makeshift tunnel

A 27-year-old man is accused of choked his mother and then hiding from police in a makeshift tunnel under a Benton City home.

Ritcherd J. Hernandez allegedly choked the 60-year-old woman with an extension cord sometime between Christmas Day and the day after, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. He allegedly refused to let her leave the Benton City home for hours.

Then on Thursday, she escaped to a neighbor’s house and they called 911. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, Lt. Mike Clark told the Tri-City Herald.

Deputies returned to the home Thursday night after getting reports that he was back. They talked to him through the windows, but he refused to come out, Clark said.

Instead, he barricaded himself inside, and retreated to a small makeshift tunnel that he had dug out underneath the house. He was able to access the tunnel from a hole he’d cut into the floor, Clark said.

Deputies, with the help of other agencies, received a search warrant and forced their way in. They found him hiding underneath the house.

Hernandez was booked in to the Benton County jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment, harassment and malicious mischief, jail booking records said.

This story was originally published December 27, 2024 at 10:57 AM.