EDMONDS — A burglary suspect police found hiding in a trash bin Wednesday allegedly tried to subdue a homeowner with pepper spray.
Records show he has served time in prison for manslaughter.
Matthew A. Propst, 25, was arrested on suspicion of first- degree burglary after a police dog team tracked him down.
Police allege the Mountlake Terrace man broke into a home on the 21000 block of 98th Ave. W in Edmonds on Wednesday morning. He reportedly tried to use pepper spray on the home’s owner.
The man arrived to find an intruder inside his house. A back door window had been broken to gain access.
The homeowner confronted and chased the intruder from his home and attempted to nab him in the yard.
The pair fought, police said.
The man said Propst attempted to blast pepper spray into his mouth, according to court records.
He called 911 after the suspect ran away.
Police said the suspect ran and then hopped on a bicycle. An officer spotted him riding a bike westbound on Hemlock Street about three blocks from the crime scene.
Police set up containment and called in a police dog team. More than an hour later, the dog led officers to a man who apparently was trying to hide in a yard waste bin.
In 2004, Propst was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter.
He and his friends had been drinking in his apartment in February 2003. He showed a shotgun he kept in his room to his friend, Andrew Olsen. When others went into another room, the gun discharged. Olsen died of a shotgun wound to his mouth.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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