Fugitive arrested in rest room

MOSES LAKE — A man who ran away from law enforcement officers on Tuesday was captured Wednesday while using the bathroom.

According to a release on Moses Lake Police Department social media, police officers had been trying to contact Modesto Valencia Aguilar, 38, in connection with felony warrants for unlawful imprisonment and making threats. Officers contacted him Tuesday near the RV, parked at the intersection of South Division Street and East Seventh Avenue, where he was staying. But he ran away, the release said, and was last seen in the wetland near McCosh Park.

Deputies from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office joined MLPD officers in a search for Valencia Aguilar.

“After an exhaustive search, a lot of wet boots and K-9 and drone teams, Valencia Aguilar was not located,” the release said.

Officers asked residents of the area to keep an eye out for Valencia Aguilar, the release said, and received information Wednesday that he had been seen near the Moses Lake Multimodal Transit Center on West Fifth Avenue.

“Officers quickly located Valencia Aguilar in the restroom,” the release said. “Officers gloved up and one flush later, he was in custody without incident.

“On a side note, we are exploring all legal options for removing that camper from the side of the road,” the release said.