Vehicle Fires Lead to Discovery of Stolen Family U-Haul and Truck

Around 2am Tuesday morning, Benton County Deputies and fire units responded to a pair of vehicles on fire at Webber Canyon and Hensen Road. Both were fully engulfed when officials arrived.

One of the vehicles was that U-Haul van that was reported stolen out of Kennewick June 17th, the other an older Ford truck. The van was the same one reported in the news as belonging to a family who was moving. As Deputies were leaving the scene, they saw a man walking down road, he was contacted, and given a ride to an address at 18000 block of East Badger Road. Why he was given the ride and what his role in this incident was not given, but when Sheriff's arrived at that location, they found another man who was wanted on two outstanding warrants.

While he was being arrested Deputies noticed some packing boxes and other evidence at the scene with the U-Haul victim's name on it. A search warrant was obtained and Sheriff's found most of the family's stolen possessions, including their Tacoma pickup.

They also found a stolen Harley Davidson motorcycle, several vehicles and other items, which were returned to their owners. Now Sheriff's are looking for 41-year-old Michael Gene Cook, who is a person of interest. Anyone with any information is urged to call (509)-628-0333. All leads can be confidential.