Authorities have not said why they think a 34-year-old man assaulted a Grant County Court security officer Wednesday.

Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said Joshua Maher was preparing to enter the secured area of the Grant County Court in Ephrata around 9:30am when he was asked to remove his hands from his pockets by Jessica Lewis, a courtroom security officer.

Maher then allegedly jumped and assaulted Lewis. The fight spilled outside the building as Lewis attempted to detain and apprehend Maher. Another officer joined in, but his Taser failed to connect, allowing the suspect to bolt. The other officer turned his attention to helping the injured Lewis and Maher escaped.

Lewis suffered broken finger, and kneecap when she and the suspect slammed into the concrete sidewalk outside the building. No word if Maher sustained any injuries from the fight.

However, after being tracked for 3 hours by a K-9 unit and not being found,  Sheriff's Deputies got some leads and by 6pm Maher was in custody. During the search, several Ephrata schools were placed on lockdown.

Maher will be facing multiple charges from the assault. It is not known if he was going to court to face and legal actions or charges.

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