SWAT team call leads to arrest of wanted felons

WALLA WALLA COUNTY – (News release from Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office) On April 22, 2024, at around 10pm a female inside the bathroom of Circle K convenience store off Dodd Road in Burbank, made a 911 call to dispatch. The female whispered to dispatch and described an unknown domestic problem with her boyfriend, Stephan Lee Cleveland, 26, who had an active warrant from the Washington Department of Corrections for escape from community custody. The original charge stems from a conviction for assault of a child in the second degree.

Deputies responded and found a green Honda CRV bearing Washington license plate BXL7207 leaving the parking lot. A traffic stop was conducted in the parking lot with a Washington State Patrol Trooper assisting. The deputy and Trooper attempted to hail Cleveland out of the vehicle. The original female caller exited the vehicle and stated her 3-year-old son was still in the vehicle. The deputy and Trooper approached the vehicle and observed Cleveland hiding in the back. They gave commands for him to exit the vehicle. Instead, he climbed into the driver’s seat and drove off. Cleveland did not have
permission to take the vehicle and the child does not belong to him.

Washington State Patrol Troopers began pursuing Cleveland with probable cause for kidnapping.
After entering Oregon, the vehicle was eventually stopped by a successful spike strip deployment
by an Oregon State Trooper near milepost 187 on Highway 730. Cleveland fled on foot into a large
residential area and was unable to be located, even with the assistance of a police K-9. Thankfully, the child was immediately rescued from the vehicle, unharmed.

On April 26th, a Walla Walla Police Department detective advised that he was conducting surveillance at a location on Stateline Road in Walla Walla County as he had reason to believe Stephan Cleveland was staying there in a trailer. At approximately 5:50 p.m., the detective observed Cleveland walk from a trailer on the property.

The Walla Walla Regional SWAT team was called and at approximately 6:30 p.m. attempted to serve
a search warrant at for the arrest of Stephan Cleveland. Cleveland was not cooperative and fled
in a vehicle, breaking through the surrounding fence line, and drove at a high rate of speed into
Oregon where he was able to temporarily elude multiple officers. He then returned to
Washington and crashed the vehicle on Peppers Bridge Road where he fled onto the adjacent
property. Containment was quickly set as all officers were nearby. After hours of hailing for him to surrender with no response a search was conducted, and Cleveland was found barricaded in a
trailer on the back of the property. Another wanted subject, Clarence G. Gunter, 42, was
also found hiding on the property during the search.

Thank you to mutual aid provided by Pasco Police Department, Washington State Patrol, all the
responding College Place Police Department, Walla Walla Police Department, and Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office officers and deputies who quickly responded and the hard
work by our local detectives and regional SWAT team members.

Cleveland is expected to be booked into the Walla Walla County Jail on charges of kidnapping,
taking a motor vehicle without permission, possession of a stolen vehicle, hit and run, eluding,
malicious mischief, and escape from community custody.

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Elkhorn Media Group

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