Jail Escapee Recaptured After 4-Hour Standoff

Wed., March 18, 1998

Luke Timmerman Staff writer

A man who escaped from the Pend Oreille County Jail last October was caught Tuesday by Spokane County sheriff’s deputies near Newman Lake.

Ryan “Todd” Todd, 24, was arrested without incident at 3:30 p.m. after four hours of negotiations with sheriff’s deputies. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on two outstanding warrants.

Todd was holed up inside a rental house on Idaho Road, less than a mile north of Trent Avenue. About 25 deputies, including the SWAT team, a canine officer and a hostage negotiation team, sealed off the perimeter of the house beginning at about 11:30 a.m.

“Since he demonstrated a propensity for escape, and considering his background with weapons, we were very careful,” sheriff’s spokesman Dave Reagan said.

During telephone negotiations, Todd hung up twice, demanded to speak to his relatives, and asked to be handed over to Pend Oreille County authorities, Reagan said. None of his requests was granted, Reagan said, but he eventually calmed down and surrendered.

“He was pretty excitable,” Reagan said. “I don’t believe he threatened anybody, but he was very adamant that he wasn’t gonna go to jail.”

Todd escaped from the Pend Oreille County Jail on Oct. 30 by climbing over the exercise yard fence while a guard wasn’t looking, deputies said.

Authorities also believe Todd escaped from a January raid of his brother’s alleged methamphetamine lab and bomb factory at a rural home near Newport, Wash. Todd got away on a stolen snowmobile, authorities said.

No evidence of methamphetamines or other drugs was found in the rental house Tuesday, Reagan said. A woman and two young children were inside the house, and refused to come out during negotiations.

Several children from the East Valley School District had to find other routes home Tuesday afternoon, because buses were not allowed through the roadblock, Reagan said. Sheriff’s deputies called ahead to notify the schools, he said.

Todd is being held on two warrants - unlawful possession of a firearm and drug possession, and failure to pay child support and the jail escape.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.