Pursuit ends in arrest near Waitsburg

WAITSBURG—A Walla Walla man was arrested last week near Waitsburg after leading law enforcement on a chase from Columbia County.

On January 7, 2021, at approximately 7:30 p.m, Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 500 block of Bolles Road, near Waitsburg, to assist the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol in locating a suspect that fled on foot from a stolen vehicle.

The suspect, Joseph A. Abbott, 25, of Walla Walla, led law enforcement officers on a pursuit through Columbia County before crashing the stolen vehicle near Waitsburg. According to the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office, Abbott attempted to flee up a creek but was sniffed out by Walla Walla Police Department’s K-9 Farel.

Abbott was booked into the Walla Walla County Jail for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle, driving with a suspended license (third degree), eluding a law enforcement vessel (watercraft), and a Department of Corrections violation.