JOYCE — The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a burglary after searching unsuccessfully for the burglar with a dog and a helicopter for four hours on Friday.
During the manhunt, nearby Crescent School was placed in lockdown for about three hours.
Undersheriff Ron Peregrin said that deputies believe the burglar left in a vehicle shortly after he took guns from a home near Joyce and fled into the woods.
Seven deputies wearing body armor and armed with Colt AR-15 .233 caliber rifles and Remington Model 870 shotguns searched for the man, arriving 15 minutes after they were called, Peregrin said.
They were assisted by a police dog from the Sequim Police Department, as well as Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Police officers and a helicopter crew from Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles.
Some of the heavily-armed officers were positioned on state Highway 112 on the west and east ends of the community to provide security away from the immediate search area, Peregrin said.
“We wanted to ensure the area was safe before handling it in our normal investigative manner,” he said.
