SEATTLE, Wash. — A man who rammed a Seattle police car while trying to escape in a stolen pickup has been sentenced to 25 months under an alternative that combines prison time with supervised drug treatment.
Casey McNerthney, a spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, discussed the case Monday on “Seattle’s Morning News.” He said the man was convicted of possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude police and felony malicious mischief.
The encounter began in April in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood, near Costco and Jack’s BBQ, McNerthney said. Police spotted a stolen Ford Ranger and activated their lights and sirens.
The driver tried to get away, hitting a police vehicle in the process, according to McNerthney. When he could no longer escape in the truck, he got out and ran.
“It just was a mess,” McNerthney said.
No one suffered serious, lasting physical injuries, but McNerthney emphasized that collisions during attempts to escape police can hurt officers, bystanders and the fleeing driver.
The man was sentenced Friday.
Sentence combines prison time with supervised drug treatment
McNerthney said the sentence reflects guidelines established by state lawmakers. The man received a drug offender sentencing alternative, which divides the 25-month sentence between incarceration and supervision by the state Department of Corrections.
Half of the sentence will be served in prison. During the other half, the man will be required to check in with a community corrections officer and demonstrate that he is participating in treatment, McNerthney said.
The arrangement is intended to address behavior contributing to criminal activity while maintaining consequences for failing to comply.
“The point is to address the underlying behavior,” McNerthney said.
Asked why the sentence was not longer, McNerthney pointed to the state’s sentencing guidelines and explained that lawmakers made the treatment alternative available as a way to address the causes of repeat criminal behavior.
He said supervision includes routine testing and requirements designed to track whether a defendant is following the treatment plan.
Failure to meet those requirements can send the defendant back before a judge and result in incarceration for the remainder of the sentence, McNerthney said.
Defendant risks returning to prison if treatment requirements go unmet
Instead, McNerthney focused on how the sentencing alternative works and what the man must do to remain in the community during the supervised portion.
McNerthney said the treatment opportunity comes with accountability.
“You want to give this person an opportunity to change the underlying behavior, and if they don’t, then they’re back in court, and they go back to jail,” he said.
The goal is for the man to complete treatment and avoid another criminal case.
“So it’s really up to them,” McNerthney said, “and hopefully we don’t see them again.”
Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here.
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
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