A Toppenish man is charged with assaulting a Washington State Patrol trooper by ramming the trooper's patrol vehicle during a high-speed chase near Moxee.
Yakima County prosecutors filed third-degree assault, eluding, felony driving under the influence, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, hit-and-run and resisting arrest against Shane Michael Curtiss, 25, in connection with the June 14 incident.
WSP Trooper Trevor Downey was on State Route 24 just west of Moxee when he observed a vehicle heading east at 71 mph, 16 mph over the speed limit, around 6:30 p.m., according to a probable cause affidavit. When Downey turned around and caught up with the vehicle and tried to stop it, the driver sped off, heading toward Konnowac Pass before circling back to State Route 24, where he sped up to 100 mph.
During the chase, the driver slammed on his brakes and backed up and went the wrong way on the highway. Downey forced the car to stop with a "PIT maneuver," the affidavit said, but the driver backed into the rear of the trooper's vehicle and sped off.
The vehicle became disabled while trying to get out of a hop yard and back on to the Desmaris Cut Off and the driver, identified as Curtiss, tried to run away. Downey was able to stop Curtiss, the affidavit said, and he found methamphetamine on Curtiss, who he said appeared to be acting as if he were under the influence of a drug.
The car Curtiss was driving had been reported stolen earlier, and a State Patrol trooper said he had pursued Curtiss and the car unsuccessfully earlier that day, the affidavit said.
A Yakima police drug recognition expert also determined that Curtiss appeared to be intoxicated with a drug, and he was booked into the Yakima County jail, where he is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.
Curtiss has prior convictions for eluding, motor vehicle theft, drug possession and vehicular assault while intoxicated, the last conviction elevating his current DUI charge to felony level.
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