By Thomas Clouse
The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
SPOKANE, Wash. — A convicted felon with a history of brandishing knives apparently is not a dog person.
The discovery came late last month when Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic violence call at a mobile home near South Geiger Boulevard and West Lawton Road.
As deputies rolled to the area at about 11 p.m. on March 28, they encountered a woman walking along Geiger Boulevard who was the alleged victim.
The woman provided the deputies enough information to establish probable cause to arrest 25-year-old Mitchell D. Hyams for domestic violence assault, Cpl. Mark Gregory wrote in a news release.
After running his name through their computers, the deputies also learned that Hyams was both a convicted felon and had active warrants seeking his arrest for the charge of second-degree assault and other misdemeanor crimes.
They approached the mobile home from the earlier call and began using a public-address system seeking to compel Hyams to surrender, “but no one in the residence responded,” Gregory wrote.
Then at 12:15 a.m., another man exited the trailer and told deputies that Hyams had left at about the same time as the woman. He also gave the deputies permission to enter the mobile home, Gregory wrote.
The deputies continued to give commands, including warnings that they could release a trained dog, but Hyams did not respond.
“At about 12:45 a.m., deputies located Hyams hiding in a very small bathroom, inside a closet,” Gregory said. “He was under the bottom shelf, covered in blankets and towels.”
He refused to come out, and a deputy, who had a police dog on a leash, then entered the bathroom.
“Hyams refused to comply with commands to show both hands and to crawl out, despite warnings that he risked being bitten if he didn’t,” Gregory wrote.
Instead, Hyams kept saying he couldn’t get out and that he needed firefighter assistance to exit his cramped location.
“After several minutes of additional warnings, Hyams exposed his left arm and the K9 was allowed to make contact and began pulling Hyams from the closet,” Gregory wrote. “As he did, Hyams swung his right hand … toward the K9’s head and chest, attempting to stab him with a knife.”
Hyams missed, and deputies gained control of him. They transported him to an area hospital for medical aid, Gregory wrote.
Inside the cramped space, deputies found a large kitchen knife and a black knife with a blade that was about 6 to 8 inches in length. That is the weapon deputies believe was used in the failed attempt to stab the police dog, Gregory wrote.
After he was medically cleared, Hyams was booked into the Spokane County Jail on new charges for attempting to harm a police dog, fourth-degree assault and resisting.
He was also booked on the previous felony warrant for second-degree assault, a Washington state Department of Corrections hold and a misdemeanor warrant for violation of a no-contact order.
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