Bail is set at $100,000 for a Pe Ell man accused of driving recklessly and fleeing from police in Lewis County while drunk on Friday.
Trevor R. Horner, 19, allegedly had a baby, two teenagers and a handgun in the vehicle with him at the time of the incident.
Horner was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 9:49 p.m. on Friday, April 18, after Washington State Patrol troopers apprehended him on a dead end road in the Chehalis area.
A trooper had tried to stop Horner’s vehicle, a black Ford Fiesta, on southbound Interstate 5 at Exit 79 after he reportedly “watched the driver of the vehicle make several dangerous maneuvers to include unsafe passing, passing another vehicle on the shoulder, passing on the right and speeding,” according to Lewis County Superior Court documents.
The vehicle allegedly “sped up in an apparent attempt to flee” when the trooper initiated a traffic stop, according to court documents.
The vehicle reportedly exited the freeway onto westbound state Route 6 and continued driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph.
The vehicle reportedly sped through a stop sign at the end of Bunker Creek Road and turned left before stopping at the end of a dead-end road.
“The pursuit ended with the suspect vehicle stopped and all inside fled from the area, except one person who stayed at the scene and stated Trevor Horner was the driver,” according to court documents.
A trooper was able to catch one of the fleeing subjects, who was identified as Horner.
Horner was “carrying a baby he said was his son” when he was apprehended, according to court documents.
Troopers ultimately located and contacted the other fleeing subject and confirmed all four occupants of the vehicle were accounted for.
Horner was the only adult in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Of the other three occupants, two were teenage boys and one was a baby.
The two teenagers reportedly identified Horner as the driver of the vehicle and “stated they asked Horner to stop the vehicle multiple times during the pursuit,” according to court documents.
Troopers reportedly had Horner complete a breathalyzer test at the jail after smelling the odor of intoxicants on his person. His results indicated his blood alcohol content was between .108 and .113.
He allegedly admitted to troopers that he had been drinking, according to court documents.
Troopers also obtained a search warrant for the vehicle after they saw a handgun in the driver’s side door. After they executed the search warrant, they identified the handgun as a Ruger .357 Magnum, according to court documents.
Horner’s criminal history, which includes a 2024 conviction for attempting to elude a pursuing police officer, prohibits him from having firearms.
According to defense attorney Rachael Tiller, Horner said he did not know there was a gun inside the vehicle while he was driving.
Horner also has an unrelated attempt to elude case pending in Lewis County and is awaiting sentencing on a physical control of a vehicle conviction out of Lewis County District Court, according to court documents.
He was charged Tuesday, April 22, in Lewis County Superior Court with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count each of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and DUI.
“I don't have a lot of confidence that he would appear in court or follow court orders. He is a significant risk to community safety,” Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager said during Horner’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, where she granted the prosecution’s request for $100,000 bail.
“It’s appropriate given the significant risk to safety as well as flight risk,” Yeager said of the bail amount.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, May 1.
