Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager referenced the tragic 2020 death of a Washington State Patrol trooper on Tuesday as she set bail for one of two men arrested following a high-speed chase on Interstate 5 in Lewis County on Monday.
After setting bail at $100,000 for Bryan Christopher Sapp, 35, of Florida, Yeager said “we had a police officer who was killed in almost exact circumstances.”
She was almost certainly referring to the death of Trooper Justin Schaffer, who was struck and killed by a fleeing suspect while setting spike strips on the freeway in Chehalis in March 2020.
Fortunately, no one was injured in Monday’s chase, which ended with the arrest of two suspects: Sapp and Jeffary Todd Thompson, 29, also of Florida, who was wanted on felony warrants out of Idaho.
Sapp, who was the driver at the time of the pursuit, is charged with attempting to elude a police vehicle and obstructing a law enforcement officer.
Court documents related to the warrants for Thompson were not available as of Tuesday afternoon. However, during his hearing Tuesday, he signed a waiver of extradition and is expected to be transported to Idaho to face charges there. His bail was maintained at the same amount as the arrest warrant, $75,000.
Also arrested after the chase on Monday were Sara L. Hayes, 45, of Spanaway, and Shannon L. Wilson, 55, of Milton, who were in the vehicle during the pursuit, according to Centralia police. Hayes was arrested for several outstanding warrants, and Wilson was arrested for obstructing. Hayes remained in the Lewis County Jail on Tuesday afternoon but Wilson has been released.
The following information is from the affidavit of probable cause, which represents the view of law enforcement and prosecutors:
On Monday, March 16, Centralia police were notified of a wanted person traveling from Castle Rock toward Lewis County on Interstate 5. Thompson was wanted out of Lewiston, Idaho, for several burglary-related offenses. Idaho authorities were pinging his cellphone and updating local law enforcement of his position, court documents state. Thompson was in a black Chevrolet Tahoe with a California license plate.
A trooper in an unmarked Washington State Patrol car located the vehicle and began to follow from a distance. The police were trying to set up ahead of the vehicle to deploy spike strips if the vehicle tried to flee due to officer safety warnings. The trooper lost sight of the vehicle, but a Centralia police officer located it a short time later and confirmed the plate.
The black Tahoe entered onto northbound Interstate 5 from state Route 6. The Centralia officer, who was driving a fully marked patrol vehicle, began to follow the Tahoe to allow other officers to get into position.
The vehicle originally drove at normal freeway speeds. The officers then initiated a traffic stop near Exit 82.
“The vehicle initially pulled over before accelerating to high speeds and attempted to elude the pursuing police vehicles,” court documents state. “A marked Lewis County Sheriff's Deputy joined the pursuit and took lead. The suspect vehicle drove at speeds of 120 mph and used the inside shoulder to pass vehicles while being pursued. The suspect vehicle also swerved in and out of traffic. The Tahoe vehicle tires were punctured when spike strips were deployed on two separate occasions. Just prior to Exit 88, the vehicle pulled to the right shoulder and came to a stop. Two suspects exited the vehicle and fled into the woods to the northeast.”
The driver, later identified as Sapp, fled into the woods and was eventually located by officers and a K9 in thick brush in an ankle-deep marsh, according to police.
“He was yelling that he was giving up and was ordered to keep his hands out,” court documents state. “He had to be removed from the thick sticker bushes. He was taken into custody. The other occupants of the vehicle, including Jeffary Thompson, were also taken into custody.”
Neither Thompson or Sapp are residents of Washington state. Sapp has criminal history that includes numerous arrests in Florida, including one for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2025. He has other criminal history that includes convictions for theft and narcotics charges.
