Police dog forces surrender of suspected Spokane Valley home burglar on drug binge

A man who told Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies he hadn’t slept in four days because of being high on meth and heroin was arrested Monday under suspicion of breaking into a home.

A police dog found Cody M. Sutton, 27, hiding in a bathroom and dragged him to the floor, according to a news release. He faces a charge of residential burglary.

Deputies said in a news release that a woman discovered Sutton in her home on the 16000 block of East Fifth Avenue in Spokane Valley at about 2 p.m. Monday when she walked upstairs from the basement and noticed her dresser drawers open and ransacked in the master bedroom.

She heard noises and retreated to the basement, where she barricaded herself in a room and called 911.

Deputies arrived and met her in the front yard to ensure she was safe.

After they determined a suspect was in the home’s locked master bedroom, deputies broke open the door and sent police dog Gunnar inside. The search then moved to the locked master bathroom, according to the release.

Deputies allege Sutton ignored commands to surrender and warnings the dog would bite him.

When they broke into the bathroom, the dog found Sutton attempting to hide on top of a vanity, the release said.

Sutton remained defiant, according to deputies, and did not show his hands and surrender. The dog then “removed Sutton from the vanity causing him to fall to the ground where he started to follow commands.”

Sutton reportedly told deputies he had been awake for four days while high on drugs, and he thought he would “somehow get away.”

Sutton has a lengthy felony criminal history in Spokane County, including charges of theft and assault. In 2016, he was arrested in connection with a shooting and drug deal at a Walgreens in north Spokane.