PORT LUDLOW — An armed Port Ludlow man was arrested in the woods near his home after evading an attempted traffic stop.
Leo Leon McNair, 70, was in custody at the Jefferson County Jail on Monday after the incident Sunday morning.
McNair had an arraignment hearing Monday in Jefferson County Superior Court, where he was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing a law enforcement officer and eluding a police vehicle, said Chris Ashcraft, chief criminal deputy for the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
McNair’s omnibus hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14, his pre-trial hearing for Dec. 5 and his trial for Dec. 15. Bail was set at $10,000.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Patrol Sgt. Brett Anglin attempted to make a traffic stop after observing McNair speeding on Thorndyke Drive near Finch Drive, Undersheriff Brandon Przygocki said.
McNair did not stop and increased speed, Przygocki said.
After pulling into his driveway nearby at Seattle Drive about 11:34 a.m., Anglin attempted to engage McNair.
“Once the vehicle stopped, the driver exited his car and did not comply with any commands that Sergeant Anglin was giving him,” Przygocki said.
After closing the distance, Anglin tried to use control holds. When McNair resisted, Anglin used pepper spray.
McNair escaped into his house at about 11:38 a.m.
Anglin waited at the house while backup headed to the scene.
At 11:52 a.m., a neighbor called 911, reporting that McNair was in their backyard with a shotgun.
A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper and a Port Townsend Police Department (PTPD) officer were able to set up a containment soon after, Przygocki said.
“There was no evidence to support that there was any risk to any of the neighbors,” he said. “It sounded like he just walked through the neighborhood and went into the wood line, which is heavily wooded. Further back, there is a clear cut.”
McNair called 911 soon afterward.
“He implied that he was no longer in the area,” Przygocki said. “It seemed to be a way to get us to leave.”
With the use of drones and a GPS tracking system from the 911 call itself, law enforcement located McNair.
The Peninsula Crisis Response Team (CRT), which includes JCSO, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the Sequim Police Department and the Port Angeles Police Department (PAPD), arrived with a presence of about 23 law enforcement officers. Additionally on the scene were the state trooper, the PTPD officer and two K-9 units from Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and PAPD.
East Jefferson Fire Rescue also was present in a medical capacity.
“We were able to talk to (McNair) on the phone and work with him, which actually helped in locating him,” Przygocki said. “The CRT members in the woods could actually hear him talking too.
The CRT took him into custody without incident, Przygocki said.
McNair admitted he had been drinking and Anglin reported smelling alcohol on him, Przygocki said.
“By the time we got to him, which was several hours later, there was no evidence left of impairment,” he added.
McNair made a statement about suicide when law enforcement officers made contact with him, Przygocki said. That was when they took him into custody, he added.
McNair’s shotgun was recovered by law enforcement, according to a JCSO press release.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
