WSP: Man tied to motor home standoff arrested

Police found and arrested a man investigators believe is connected to a SWAT team standoff with an empty, stolen motor home that blocked traffic on Interstate 205 for 2½ hours in late July.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said investigators booked Eric Rekofke, 31, Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear for driving with a suspended license. Rekofke has ties to Vancouver, but appears to be transient, Finn said.

“Detectives were able to track Eric down through a 911 tip that came in at the time of the incident,” Finn said, adding that the investigation is ongoing and other charges may be pending. “The tip led us to picking this gentleman up. It just took a while to track him down.”

Officers first stopped the motor home around 3 p.m. July 30, about a half-mile north of the Mill Plain Boulevard interchange.

The RV had been reported stolen. The driver had fled, but officers reported seeing motion inside the vehicle. Facing the possibility of a suspect barricaded in a vehicle on the freeway, police shut down the road and called in the SWAT team.

Law enforcement brought in armored vehicles, remote viewing devices and loudspeakers. Traffic was detoured, but the northbound backup stretched over the Glenn Jackson Bridge into Portland.

Around 5:20 p.m., officers pried open a door on the motor home and found it was empty.

Finn said the motor home was reported as stolen out of Bozeman, Mont., from a Wal-Mart parking lot.

The vehicle was impounded, and attempts are being made to contact its owners, he said.

“We’re just happy that we’re able to put some closure on it,” Finn said.