A driver with eight prior felonies was arrested Saturday night after he passed out behind the wheel with drug paraphernalia in his lap, fled from deputies and crashed into a guardrail, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO).
The suspect is now facing possible DUI, attempting to elude, third-degree driving with a suspended license, and operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device charges.
A TCSO deputy reportedly arrested the suspect, who has not been identified, while patrolling the Meridian Road area at about 11:55 p.m. on Feb. 14, according to information posted by Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders.
The suspect’s vehicle was reportedly stopped in the lane of travel blocking the roadway.
When contacted by a deputy, the driver was reportedly uncooperative, unwilling to answer questions, and refused to step out of the vehicle.
The driver then rolled the window up, turned the car on, and fled at a high rate of speed the wrong way down the road, according to Sanders.
Deputies pursued and moved in to grapple the suspect, when he crashed into a guardrail.
The suspect continued to try and flee, prompting deputies to pin the car in to prevent any further risk to the public, Sanders stated in a social media post.
No patrol cars were damaged.
The driver initially refused to exit the vehicle, but surrendered “after some negotiating from K9 Asher,” Sanders stated.
The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail. A search warrant was obtained to retrieve drug paraphernalia from the car and to seize two vials of blood from the suspect for lab testing.
At the time of the incident, the suspect reportedly had eight prior felonies on record for auto theft, possession of a stolen car, theft, second-degree assault, and hit and run with injury, in addition to eight separate gross misdemeanor convictions.
The suspect has a suspended license and is required to have an ignition interlock device in their car, according to Sanders.
“Great proactive police work to remove dangerous drivers like this from our roadways,” Sanders said.
