Wapato Prisoner Steals Inmate Transport Van Near Ellensburg
Tuesday morning, law enforcement officers near Ellensburg were kept busy running down a prisoner.
Woman steals inmate transport van
Around 9:50 AM, a King County prisoner transport van had stopped near Bowers Field in Kittitas County, for the purpose of meeting up with other LE agencies, and transporting prisoners to different jails.
The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says 27-year-old Rebecca Tupuola of Wapato, who was not in Kittitas County custody, stole the van after most of the inmates were taken off. However, there was one male inmate left in the back.
Officers from Kittitas County, Central WA U Police, State Patro,l and Ellensburg Police began to search for the vehicle.
Tupuola, who was serving time in another jail for theft charges, sped away, but the inmate in the back was able to call 911 on a cell phone that was left behind. He told Officers Tupuola had stopped and left him off at a location near Naneum Road and Game Farm Road, east of Ellensburg.
The inmate stayed on the phone and said the suspect had entered a home, then come out carrying cash, and then went and hid along a treeline. While area residents were advised to lock doors and windows, additional Officers arrived to set up a perimeter, shortly afterward, Tupuolo surrendered without incident.
Tupuola, who was to serve time for her charges in King County, will now be delayed, she's in the Kittitas County jail while new charges for the breakout and escape attempt are prepared and filed. The investigation continues.
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