Suspect in critical condition after being Tasered

A suspect in a criminal investigation was in critical condition Wednesday after he was Tasered by Spokane Valley police during a drug raid.

Trent A. Yohe, 37, was exhibiting seizurelike symptoms when Spokane Valley Police entered his trailer Tuesday, said police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan. Yohe stopped convulsing but began to punch and kick officers, who then used a Taser on him, Reagan said.

The incident began about 8:35 p.m. Tuesday when Spokane Valley Police officers arrived at 6811 E. Fifth Ave. to investigate reports that drug activity was taking place inside a travel trailer in back of a mobile home.

When officers announced their arrival, one man popped out of a vent in the trailer’s roof, jumped onto an adjoining roof and escaped, Reagan said.

Officers saw something on fire inside the trailer and forced their way in. Inside, officers said they found a pile of papers ablaze on top of a computer monitor, and Yohe lying on a couch suffering from what appeared to be a seizure. They ordered him to leave the trailer, Reagan said.

Yohe – who has a felony forgery warrant – would not follow orders to leave and instead punched and kicked officers, who dragged him outside the trailer and Tasered him, Reagan said.

Yohe became unconscious and was taken to a downtown hospital. Because of the seriousness of Yohe’s condition, Spokane Valley Police turned the investigation over to Spokane Police. The same protocol is used when officers use deadly force in the line of duty. The officers involved in the incident have not been named.

It was unclear Wednesday night if Yohe became unconscious because of the combination of the apparent seizure and the use of the Taser.

Officers are still searching for the man who fled the trailer, Reagan said.