TUMWATER, Wash. — A 25-time convicted felon was arrested Tuesday night after deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Washington State Patrol chased him down.
The chase began after Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies discovered a stolen truck in Tumwater. Two people jumped inside and drove off.
According to Sheriff Derek Sanders, his deputies tried to stop the truck, but the driver sped off, nearly causing a crash. Deputies decided to back off and let the Washington State Patrol’s surveillance plane, named ‘Smokey’, track the truck from above.
The truck drove ‘recklessly’ into Maytown and onto a set of railroad tracks, where it then rolled down an embankment. According to Sheriff Sanders, K9 Bowie and his deputies were guided by ‘Smokey’ to the driver and his girlfriend, who were both taken into custody.
The truck was confirmed stolen out of Aberdeen, and the driver was immediately recognized as a prolific auto thief. Sheriff Sanders said on Facebook that this individual had been engaging in high-speed stolen car pursuits with his department for decades, “with a long track record of invoking pursuits of the highest risk, including driving down the freeway backward and intentionally trying to ram and kill innocent motorists head-on to convince pursuing officers to stop chasing him.”
Sheriff Sanders shared that the driver is a 25-time convicted felon, with 7 more gross misdemeanor convictions, 8 more misdemeanor charges, and one additional charge of bail jumping. He reportedly also has 40 recorded arrests ranging from probation violations, probable cause arrests, and bench warrants. He also has multiple pending cases.
According to Sheriff Sanders, “For this incident, he’ll be booked on more felony crimes.”
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