A 32-year-old Chehalis man faces felony and other charges after he allegedly sped from an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 5 in Lewis County on Jan. 20.
The man denied driving the vehicle before his arrest, according to prosecutors.
Gildardo V. Marquez is charged with one count each of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, making a false or misleading statement to a public servant and third-degree driving with a suspended or revoked license. The eluding charge is considered a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Because Marquez allegedly committed the eluding crime while endangering someone other than himself or the pursuing officer, state law allows for an additional 12 months and one day to be added to the standard sentence range.
Marquez made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Jan. 21. Judge Joely Yeager set his bail at $20,000 cash or bond, saying Marquez had “some of the worst driving history” she’d ever seen.
Yeager alluded to “four pages of driving history” and a DUI conviction from another jurisdiction as evidence that Marquez posed a risk to community safety.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Marquez has a 2018 DUI conviction in California, and was previously arrested for driving with a suspended license, hit-and-run of an unattended vehicle and DUI. The affidavit states those cases were either “dismissed or diverted from conviction.”
The judge further noted that Marquez had been awaiting sentencing for another driving-related offense when the new alleged offense occurred, meaning he had violated the court’s conditions and was considered a “flight risk.”
The affidavit lists a pending Lewis County District Court matter for alleged third-degree driving with a suspended license that occurred December 2024.
According to the affidavit, a Washington State Patrol trooper had attempted to stop Marquez’s vehicle on I-5 near milepost 73 after the vehicle “slammed on its brakes and pulled
over” as the trooper approached.
The trooper later observed the vehicle pull back onto the interstate and “speed away.”
During the pursuit, the vehicle reportedly exited I-5 at milepost 74, ran a red light and returned to the interstate, before exiting again at milepost 76.
The trooper ended the pursuit due to traffic and the “speeds that were attained,” but found the vehicle parked at a nearby convenience store, according to the affidavit.
He went inside, saw Marquez and asked him about the vehicle.
“Marquez denied being associated with the vehicle and when he exited the store he walked away from the vehicle,” the affidavit states.
Upon review of the store’s security footage, however, the trooper allegedly confirmed that Marquez had exited the vehicle.
Another trooper detained Marquez. After receiving a Miranda warning, the suspect allegedly said “his license was suspended and that he ‘ran because he was hungry.’”
Marquez was scheduled for an arraignment on Jan. 22.
He is prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while the case is pending.
