Brewster police chief explains agency assist policy, captured felon

BREWSTER – Brewster Police Chief Marcos Ruiz summarized a firearms-related pursuit/arrest incident and the department’s assist policy during his report to the regular monthly meeting of the city council, Oct. 20.

An alleged firearms assault by a Brewster man in Oroville ended with the suspect’s arrest in Brewster by Brewster Police Department deputies following an earlier pursuit. Ruiz said a male suspect pulled a sawed-off shotgun on a Toppenish couple in Oroville on Oct. 2, then fled the scene. Brewster deputy Vernon Reyes recognized the suspect when he passed the suspect’s vehicle while enroute to another assignment.

Reyes notified dispatch of the development and received the chief’s approval to pursue the suspect due to the severity of the crime committed.

While being pursued the suspect “threw a shotgun and shotgun shells out of the window and Officer Reyes was able to mark the GPS location and notify other officers, who later recovered that,” Ruiz said.

When the suspect drove off the highway and into an orchard Marcos terminated the pursuit owing to the danger of high speeds under those new conditions.

“I had one officer go back to Brewster just to ensure he didn’t come to Brewster, but an hour-and-a-half later he did,” said Ruiz. “He was located and pulled over by Officer (C.J.) Harmier who made a felony stop and placed him under arrest without incident, so he’s in jail now.”

The suspect is identified as Ruben Landa Ocampo, 29, of Brewster. He was booked into the Okanogan County Jail on various felony charges including suspicion of first-degree assault and felon in possession of a firearm.

Agency assists

“With everybody being short-staffed, Brewster seems to be central in the lower valley and Brewster’s called on a lot,” said Ruiz addressing agency assist events. The average rate of agency assists we’ve had since January is between 9-10, July it was 20.”

“I’m not saying we’re not going to go,” clarified Ruiz, “All I’m saying is we won’t be first,”

Ruiz explained that the first agency to respond accepts all liability.

“I have informed the officer that they can go, respond with a deputy,” said Ruiz, “so that the deputy is the primary agency out in the county, and we’re there to assist.”

Ruiz said the reason for the assist policy involved prior occasions where Brewster Police Department did respond first, accepted liability, and is now down one officer in staff strength owing to one of those agency assist calls.

New hire

Ruiz advised the council that effective Nov. 1, Brewster will be hiring a 17-year veteran who has served as the Registered Sex Offender deputy (RSO) for the county.