Suspect Arrested in Alleged Arson of Klickitat County Deputy’s Barn; Two Deputies Injured During Arrest
By Joshuah Albert
Lyle, Wash., Feb. 23, 2026 — A Lyle man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson after a barn fire at a Klickitat County sheriff’s deputy’s home last week, according to statements released by the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and additional information provided by the Washington State Patrol.
All details regarding the fire, investigation and arrest were initially released by the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office. Additional timeline and operational clarification was provided by the Washington State Patrol.
According to the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, the fire was reported at approximately 10 p.m. Feb. 17, when an off-duty deputy returned home with his wife and young children and noticed a strong gasoline odor. The sheriff’s office stated the deputy was attempting to determine the source of the smell when a barn on the property erupted in flames. Deputies and firefighters responded and extinguished the fire.
The sheriff’s office said its K9 unit tracked a scent from the burned barn to a neighboring residence. Authorities attempted contact with someone inside the home but received no response, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy’s family was relocated to a motel while investigators processed the scene.
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office said arson investigators and Washington State Patrol detectives assisted in developing probable cause for a search warrant at a neighboring property located at 6 Lyle-Snowden Road.
In its press release, the sheriff’s office stated Washington State Patrol SWAT had been requested to assist with executing the warrant, but said permission to execute the search warrant was not granted by Washington State Patrol supervisors.
However, the Washington State Patrol disputed that characterization.
Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the Washington State Patrol, said the request for SWAT assistance was received near the end of the day Feb. 18, and was not denied.
“Any inference that we arbitrarily denied a request for assistance is inaccurate,” Loftis said.
According to Loftis, the warrant had not yet been signed during the initial consultation, and Washington State Patrol SWAT personnel were completing a full-day training operation on the western side of the state.
Loftis said mobilizing SWAT immediately would have required travel across mountain passes and resulted in extended operational hours exceeding 24 consecutive hours, which he said would have created safety concerns.
“Our SWAT unit was still in the process of a day-long training operation on the western side of the state,” Loftis said. “An early Thursday mobilization with the necessary travel across the passes to the east side would have also been tactically impractical and operationally unsafe.”
Loftis said the Washington State Patrol offered to assist either later Thursday or during the day Friday, but Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office personnel decided to proceed with a locally directed operation Thursday.
“KCSO was made aware of WSP’s timing and travel constraints and on-scene KCSO planners decided a locally-directed Thursday operation would be the better option,” Loftis said.
According to the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, deputies served the search warrant Feb. 19 at the Lyle-Snowden Road residence.
During the operation, the sheriff’s office said a pickup truck driven by 35-year-old Kiva Dobson approached deputies from the rear of the property. The sheriff’s office alleged Dobson attempted to flee in the vehicle, disregarded commands to stop, and collided with a patrol vehicle.
The sheriff’s office reported Dobson exited the vehicle and resisted arrest. Deputies took him into custody after a struggle, according to the agency.
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office said two deputies were injured during the arrest, with one sustaining a sprained wrist and another suffering a compression fracture to the spine.
Dobson was transported to the Klickitat County Jail and faces charges of first-degree arson, residential burglary and first-degree reckless burning, according to the sheriff’s office. The allegations have not been independently verified in court, and Dobson had not been convicted of the charges as of Monday.
The Washington State Patrol said it was “glad that the suspect was apprehended” and expressed hope that the injured deputies would recover, while also stating it was “happy that the deputy and his family that were originally targets of the suspected arson were unharmed.”
Both agencies said multiple personnel assisted with the investigation, including sheriff’s deputies, detectives, arson investigators, and fire personnel.
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