One of the three suspects arrested in connection with last week's multi-county police chase, which ended in a flipped vehicle in Centralia, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court.
Marc-Anthony D. Houston, 20, of Kent had his bail set at $75,000 and is out on bond.
He is charged with the felony of attempting to elude a police vehicle while allegedly speeding away from officers from Castle Rock to Centralia.
He is also charged with seven gross misdemeanors: four counts of hit-and-run involving property damage, and three counts of reckless endangerment.
His final charge is the misdemeanor of driving with a suspended license in the third degree.
At 10:12 a.m. March 3, Washington State Patrol told a Castle Rock Police Department officer that a vehicle had fled during a traffic stop, according to court records.
The officer located the suspected vehicle at about 10:21 a.m. on Delemeter Road and West Side Highway and began a pursuit heading north on West Side Highway.
Darius Robertson, 20, of Auburn, was seated in the front passenger seat, and Uleyja Hale, 19, of Kent, was in the back passenger seat, along with an infant who wasn't in a car seat, according to the report that led to Houston's arrest.
The officer reached over 130 mph during the pursuit. Meanwhile, the suspect's vehicle was swerving into other lanes and passing other motorists.
The report states the suspect's car struggled maneuvering turns and corners and rear-ended at least three vehicles.
While on the freeway, the officer noticed an object tossed from the suspect's vehicle. It was later found to be a gun.
The police chase ended after the suspect's vehicle crashed into another vehicle, landing on its top on the southbound lanes of Interstate 5.
Both Houston and Robertson fled on foot but were later apprehended.
The baby was medically checked and then handed to child protective services, as stated in a post on the Castle Rock Police Department's Facebook page.
Both Hale and Robertson had their first appearances in Castle Rock Municipal Court.
According to court records, a public defender was appointed to represent Houston. His tentative trial is set for April 9.
