Mattawa man arrested after allegedly threatening sister with homemade gun

MATTAWA — A Mattawa man who allegedly showed up his sister’s home and threatened her with a homemade gun was arrested Monday after being tracked down by K-9 Grizzly.

About 3:45 p.m. deputies with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in the 30000 block of state Route 243 after receiving a report of a man, alleged to be Malcom Engle Sr., 33, of Mattawa, violating a protection order by being present at his sister’s residence. Engle allegedly pointed a “zip gun,” which an improvised, homemade gun, at his sister and ran away, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

At the lead of K-9 Grizzly and his handler, Deputy Dave De La Rosa, deputies were able to track Engle for nearly a mile into some sagebrush. Grizzly reportedly started barking after finding Engle hiding in a row of Russian olive trees. Engle surrendered and the zip gun was seized as evidence.

“Grizzly was able to keep deputies safe by alerting them to where the armed suspect was hiding,” Sheriff Tom Jones said. “Grizzly’s skills prevented the armed suspect from having an advantage over the deputies.”

Engle was booked into the Grant County Jail for investigation of violation of a protection order (domestic violence), felony harassment (domestic violence), second-degree assault (domestic violence), obstructing a law enforcement officer and felon in possession of a firearm.