Man who hid under bed, took a man hostage has been arrested

Spokane County deputies have identified and arrested a man alleged to have hidden under a man’s bed and then held him hostage for several hours Tuesday.

Joshua D. Trudeau, 32, was arrested Thursday night after a Spokane police officer received a tip about his location. Trudeau briefly ran from police and was captured with the help of a police K-9. He was then booked into Spokane County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, residential burglary, first-degree robbery and second-degree assault. His bond has been set at $150,000.

Trudeau is alleged to have run from deputies the afternoon of July 11 near the 300 block of West Sierra Way after he was seen acting suspiciously near a stolen car that was being recovered. Deputies lost sight of him, but Trudeau allegedly hid inside an apartment in the 9000 block of North Country Homes Boulevard.

The resident told police that he was napping when Trudeau came out from under the bed, according to court records. He said he tried to run, but Trudeau put his arm around his neck and dragged him back into the bedroom. The resident was held hostage for several hours and said Trudeau was armed with a knife. He called police after Trudeau took some of his clothes and his car keys and left, court documents state.

While Trudeau was in the apartment, he is alleged to have used the resident’s phone to make calls and appeared to be looking for a ride. One of the people he called was his mother, court documents state. His theft of the resident’s car was captured on video surveillance.

The car was recovered in the area of Atlantic Street and Lyons Avenue early Wednesday morning.