By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – We finally have some additional details about a bizarre incident that played out in Olympic National Park last August, and the 3-day manhunt for a heavily armed Port Angeles man that prompted the evacuation of areas of the park.
42-year-old Caleb Chapman pled guilty in US District Court Wednesday to interfering with a government communication system, when on August 29 he disabled the radio repeater located at the summit of Blue Mountain, leaving the northeast corner of the park without emergency communications.
The ordeal began just after midnight on August 29 when Chapman appeared at a stranger’s home armed with a handgun and AR-15 style rifle. Chapman admits he was high on meth when he handed the stranger a letter outlining his concerns over political events and his belief that there would be a revolution starting on the Olympic Peninsula, Texas and elsewhere.
Chapman drove his girlfriend to Olympic National Park where he felled a tree to block a road to the Deer Park campground. He told his girlfriend she was going to die in the “revolution”, which prompted her to call 9-1-1. Chapman stormed off into the woods alone with nine firearms including a stolen handgun, the AR-15, two shotguns, and more than 3500 rounds of ammunition.
The Deer Park and Hurricane Ridge areas were evacuated and multiple agencies, including federal, county and local police, worked together to locate Chapman over the next 2 days using multiple surveillance platforms. The effort was made more difficult by persistent fog and the fact that Chapman had disabled the park’s radio communications site.
Chapman was located on August 31 and surrounded by law enforcement in a gradually closing circle. Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King described the process at the time as “hairy”, given the presence of guns.
Negotiators eventually made verbal contact with Chapman. Crisis negotiators from the Port Angeles Police Department took over from there and were able to convince him to surrender without incident.
As part of the plea agreement, Chapman has agreed to make restitution to those harmed by his actions, including losses to the National Park Service.
Interference with a federal communications system is punishable by up to ten years in prison.