Mr. Crook Steals a Truck...
Another adventure at the Metaline Falls Station
During part of my stint as a supervisor at the Metaline Falls Border Patrol Station, the state began highway construction from Metaline Falls north to the U.S.-Canada Border. It only lasted a couple of years, but it provided many people with plenty of irritation, especially for those of us in the Border Patrol who travel Highway 31 as part of our employment on a daily basis.
One afternoon, a subject by the name of Crook, yes that really is his name, arrived at the Metaline Falls Port of Entry trying to enter the U.S. His criminal history was quickly located, confirming him to have a criminal record, including a vehicle theft. He was denied entry to the United States by the CBP Officers and allowed to return to Canada.
Mr. Crook was persistent in his desire to enter the United States-being denied entry into the country the legal way didn’t deter him. He walked around the Port of Entry without being noticed, keeping to the brush line and soon arrived at Crescent Lake, a small lake about a mile south of the Port. Road construction was in progress, and a North Pend Oreille Company, Maupin Construction, provided some heavy equipment including a big rig with a water tank attached. They had left this water truck parked at Crescent Lake.
Mr. Crook discovered the giant-sized water truck with the keys left in it. Being the opportunistic crook he was, he climbed in the big rig, started it up and began to drive south on 31 towards Metaline Falls. Unluckily for the young thief, a passerby noticed him getting into the truck and reported it at the Port of Entry. The POE radioed the Border Patrol. Three Border Patrol Agents, Bill Borches, Sean Huntsman and Chris Levins responded. They intercepted the truck, being driven in a low gear, driving south down the highway at a high rpm! The big rig thief had failed to take the necessary driving lessons to learn how to shift correctly.
The agents performed a felony stop on the big rig and were quickly met with a very apologetic and scared crook, Mr. Crook that is, who exited the vehicle with his hands raised high in the air. He stated that he had watched on television how criminals were treated in the United States.
This arrest went like clockwork with the subject quickly handcuffed without incident. As the agents were placing him in the back seat, one of them threw the suspect’s personal bag into the rear of the vehicle. The bag struck an unseen fire extinguisher stowed out of sight with other equipment. The extinguisher exploded into action and two agents, along with Mr. Crook, startled as the white powder shot out of the extinguisher into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, jumped back and away from the vehicle. One agent, who I will not name, reacted by drawing his weapon or so the legend goes.
The three agents quickly discovered the source of the white powder and deactivated the extinguisher. Laughs were shared once the source was discovered, and imminent disaster no longer inevitable.
The agent who is rumored to have drawn his weapon, holstered quickly with a bit of embarrassment. He would later joke to me and others that he thought it was a chemical weapon carried by the arrestee and he was going to put everyone out of their misery before they had to suffer a horrific fate! (He was joking!)
Mr. Crook was turned over to Pend Oreille County for theft of a motor vehicle. Accused of committing a felony, years in prison potentially awaited him.
Within a couple of days, Pend Oreille County called and asked us to pick up Mr. Crook as all charges had been dropped against him. I went on that trip and met a very bewildered crook who was allegedly mentally incompetent (so the court ruled), and very much ready to go back to Canada.
