Ocean Shores Man Arrested After Altercation with Deputies in Ritzville
RITZVILLE – Kenneth Curtiss, a 42-year-old man from Ocean Shores, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a law enforcement officer following an altercation at a Ritzville service station on Monday.
According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), deputies responded to two reports involving an unidentified man causing disturbances at two different locations. The first report came from a truck stop in the 2000 block of North Durry Drive near Tokio, where a male suspect allegedly assaulted an employee before fleeing the scene in a vehicle with distinctive flags on its bumper.
As deputies were heading to the truck stop, a second incident was reported at a Ritzville service station located on West First Avenue. The suspect, believed to be the same individual, allegedly assaulted a patron at the station, and his truck also displayed the same distinctive flags.
Upon arrival, deputies and Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers located the suspect, later identified as Curtiss, still at the service station. When they attempted to arrest him, a brief struggle ensued, during which a deputy was reportedly assaulted. Curtiss fled on foot, but law enforcement quickly apprehended him using a taser.
Curtiss was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation before being booked into jail. Due to his erratic behavior, corrections staff placed him in a full-body restraint device to prevent injury, as confirmed by Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner.
A passenger in Curtiss’s vehicle was determined to be uninvolved in the incident and was released. Additionally, Curtiss’s dog was taken into custody by Adams County Pet Rescue for safekeeping.
The incident remains under investigation, and the ACSO has indicated that additional charges may be forthcoming. As of now, Curtiss faces charges related to assaulting a law enforcement officer, with more details expected as the investigation progresses.
