Two men with warrants arrested  in Thurston County 

Two men were arrested in Thurston County after law enforcement personnel stopped a vehicle with an allegedly stolen license plate and discovered both occupants had outstanding warrants. 

According to a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office report, the stop occurred around 12:46 a.m. on Aug. 7 after an off-duty Tacoma police officer spotted a van with a stolen plate on Old Pacific Highway SE and reported the vehicle.  

Sheriff's office deputies conducted a traffic stop near Saint Clair Cutoff Road SE, and both the driver and passenger were detained without incident. 

The driver, 40-year-old Christopher Michael Ramirez, of Black Diamond, was arrested after deputies confirmed he had a Department of Corrections warrant for escape from community custody. 

The passenger, 36-year-old Richard Lee Gary, of Olympia, was found to have multiple warrants, including one from Lakewood Police Department for a hit-and-run and another warrant out of Oregon for possession of forging instruments and fraud. Deputies also reported finding counterfeit bills and forgery materials in his belongings. 

“A criminal history check for Gary showed that he had multiple prior convictions out of Oregon for possession of forging instruments and forgery. He also had prior convictions in Washington for possession of controlled substances,” a responding deputy stated in the report. 

A search of the vehicle uncovered suspected narcotics, drug paraphernalia, checks and identity documents that did not belong to either man. 

Ramirez was booked into Thurston County Corrections Facility for possession of stolen property, while Gary was booked into Nisqually Tribal Jail on his warrants.