A Washington man wearing a dress stole a school bus after being released from a mental hospital on Saturday, eventually stealing a front-end loader and smashing it into his estranged wife’s home.
39-year-old Andrew S. Loudon, who was sporting a yellow dress, was released from the hospital, where he reportedly stole a bus, abandoning it near Moses Lake.
During this time, Loudon was intercepted by police, but new Washington police reform laws prevented the lawmen from pursuing.
Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett informed KIRO7 that law enforcement cannot pursue vehicles in Washington state unless the four elements below are met:
1.Probable Cause for a VIOLENT OFFENSE, SEX OFFENSE or ESCAPE (from custody or detention facility) or reasonable suspicion for DUI
2.Pursuit is necessary to identify or apprehend the person AND
3.The driver possesses an imminent threat to the safety of OTHERS, AND the risk of failing to apprehend or identify the person is greater than the risks of vehicle pursuit AND
4.Supervisor has provided authorization.
The new laws effectively made pursuing Loudon pointless, and the bearded man in drag made his escape.
After dismounting from the vehicle, Loudon hitchhiked his way to Chewelah via Spokane.
Upon arriving in Chelan County, Loudon stole a loader and crashed it into his estranged wife’s home.
While the house was destroyed and a vehicle had been tossed onto the building, Loudon’s wife was spared injury due to the fact that she had fled in advance.
Loudon has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, first-degree malicious mischief/domestic violence and attempting to elude a police vehicle.
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