Man accused of crashing into Centralia building in December arrested, charged with attempt to elude, possession of cocaine

Bail is set at $10,000 for a man arrested in Centralia on Thursday for allegedly crashing into a building and eluding police in December and for having cocaine in his possession at the time of his arrest. 

“I understand that he doesn't have any prior felony history, but the charges here in these two matters are concerning for a number of reasons,” Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager said of the defendant, Camron Charles William King, 28, of Olympia, during his preliminary hearing on Friday. 

King is accused of crashing into a building on South Tower Avenue on Dec. 12, 2024, while fleeing from an officer who had tried to pull him over for a possible DUI, according to court documents and previous Chronicle reporting. 

The officer had reportedly seen a red SUV with defective brake lights drive over grass and around cylindrical barricades on North Pearl Street in Centralia, according to court documents. 

“The officer attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his emergency lights, but the driver drove away at a high rate of speed,” police stated in a news release. 

“The officer pursued until the suspect turned from North Pearl Street onto a side street and then drove the wrong way on North Tower (Avenue) in an effort to elude the officer. The officer discontinued the pursuit at that time in the interest of safety to the public.”

A short time later, the suspect attempted to turn eastbound onto Center Street from North Tower but lost control of his vehicle, police stated. 

“The vehicle slid out of the turn, struck a parked car and crashed into a building, completely embedding itself inside,” according to the news release. “The male suspect was later seen fleeing the building and running eastbound on Center Street.” 

The vehicle was “completely immersed” into the corner of the building, which was unoccupied at the time of the crash, according to court documents. 

A Centralia police K9 team was called to assist in the search for the suspect but the track was not successful.

Officers ultimately identified King as the driver by checking surveillance footage to get the vehicle’s license plate and contacting the registered owner of the vehicle, who allegedly said King was driving her vehicle at the time of the incident. 

An officer’s report noted “that King had similar features to the male observed exiting the vehicle on surveillance footage,” according to court documents. 

King evaded arrest until Thursday, March 27, when officers were advised that he was seen leaving Tower Tavern and going into Insert Coin on South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to court documents and police call logs. 

Officers reportedly entered Insert Coin and saw King as he was leaving the business’s restroom. 

“He was placed under arrest after a brief struggle,” according to court documents. 

When officers searched King during the arrest, they reportedly found eight baggies that each contained between 1 and 1-and-a-half grams of cocaine. Officers also found a baggie containing red dice, a straw containing white powder residue and $204 in denominations between $20 and $1. 

An officer noted that the street value of one gram of cocaine is between $20 and $60, according to court documents. 

King was charged Friday, March 28, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture or deliver. Each charge was filed under a separate case number. 

Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, April 3.