Warrants have been issued for a Packwood couple charged with felony crimes for allegedly falsely accusing a semi truck driver of attempting to run them off the road on U.S. Highway 12 in Lewis County last May.
Arrest warrants were issued for John Lester Rush, 59, and Lisa Marie Rush, 58, after they failed to appear for preliminary hearings in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday.
John Rush is charged with malicious prosecution and second-degree perjury — both Class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine — as well as misdemeanor charges of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, reckless driving and reckless endangerment, all punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of $5,000.
Lisa Rush faces felony charges of malicious prosecution and second-degree perjury as well as a misdemeanor charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.
According to charging documents filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, John Rush called 911 on May 29 to report that he had been run off the road by an “erratically driven” semi while he was near mile marker 89 on U.S. Highway 12 in Lewis County.
When contacted by a Washington State Patrol trooper, John Rush said he was attempting to overtake a Walsh Trucking semi in the left lane of U.S. Highway 12, in a passing lane, when the “truck driver looked over at him and swerved in his lane, forcing him into oncoming traffic.”
“Rush said he swerved back into the appropriate lane and pulled off onto the shoulder,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents. “He said there was a collision with the semi during this incident that resulted in his wife, Lisa Rush, sustaining multiple broke ribs and a strained neck. John and Lisa provided (the trooper) with witness statements signed under the penalty of perjury providing more detailed information about the incident — remaining consistent about the location, the involved parties and what occurred. They also sent pictures of damage to the vehicle they were driving. (The trooper) noted the damage did not appear consistent with being struck by a semi.”
When contacted by the trooper, a representative of Walsh Trucking said that not only was there video of the incident from the truck that was said to be involved, but there was also video from a truck in the oncoming lane that was also affiliated with Walsh Trucking.
“Upon viewing the footage, (the trooper) noted that almost everything in the statements provided by the Rushs and everything said by John (Rush) in their conversation was false,” prosecutors wrote in court documents. “The video shows the Rushs' vehicle illegally passing in a no passing zone and driving in the oncoming lane. The video also showed oncoming traffic having to pull over to the side to avoid a collision with the Rushs' vehicle. It also appeared from the video there was no collision, thus, there would not have been any injury to Lisa Rush.”
Lewis County Superior Court Judge J. Andrew Toynbee set bail for John Rush at $25,000 when issuing an arrest warrant. He set bail at $5,000 when issuing the arrest warrant for Lisa Rush.
