By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com
Bail has been set at $20,000 for the Vancouver man accused of fleeing Centralia cops final month after being caught stealing catalytic converters. He was arrested Wednesday after a chase that started in Centralia and continued into Cowlitz County.
Ethan J. Lazo, 27, faces one depend every of eluding a police officer and driving below the affect after he allegedly fled from officers who had been conducting a welfare examine on Lazo and a second particular person.
Officers had initially responded to a report of two handed out individuals inside a car with no license plate that was blocking the doorway to a enterprise within the 1300 block of Kresky Avenue at roughly 9:15 a.m. on Could 25, based on courtroom paperwork.
Officers famous that each had been sleeping and slumped over and certain “on the nod” based mostly on quite a few gadgets of suspected drug paraphernalia strewn round them within the car, based on courtroom paperwork.
Officers had been reportedly “involved about potential overdose” and woke the pair, asking the driving force for the keys to stop them from driving below the affect, based on courtroom paperwork. The motive force, who was later recognized as Lazo, reportedly awoke and “instantly pushed the button-start for the car and took off at a excessive charge of pace,” based on courtroom paperwork.
“Suspecting the driving force was below the affect, the officer pursued the suspect by Centralia, into Chehalis, then onto (Interstate) 5. The motive force continued southbound into Cowlitz County till Fort Rock Police had been in a position to deflate the car’s tires with a spike strip,” said the Centralia Police Division in a information launch on Could 26.
Court docket paperwork be aware that the pursuit lasted virtually 20 minutes and coated virtually 30 miles.
Lazo reportedly reached speeds as much as 130 mph and was seen weaving dangerously by site visitors and passing automobiles on the best shoulder of Interstate 5, based on courtroom paperwork.
Officers famous “Lazo got here dangerously near a collision as automobiles tried to maneuver out of the best way,” based on courtroom paperwork. At one level, Lazo reportedly drove right into a concrete barrier on the facet of the freeway and continued driving.
Lazo was arrested following the chase. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 6:20 p.m. on Could 25.
Lazo’s passenger reportedly instructed officers she and Lazo had used fentanyl earlier than officers woke them within the car, based on courtroom paperwork.
In accordance with police, a search warrant later served on the car revealed suspected fentanyl drugs and methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and instruments used to steal catalytic converters.
Legislation enforcement later confirmed Lazo had an impressive warrant out of Oregon for fees together with first-degree forgery and failure to seem.
Lazo has 5 lively warrants out for his arrest in Washington, together with driving below the affect fees, based on Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello. Masiello requested the $20,000 bail quantity throughout Lazo’s preliminary look in Lewis County Superior Court docket on Friday.
Protection Legal professional Rachael Tiller requested Decide Joely Yeager to set Lazo’s bail at no increased than $10,000 as a result of Lazo’s monetary state of affairs and his lack of failure to seem historical past in Washington.
“The state’s request is greater than affordable at $20,000,” Yeager stated on Friday, citing Lazo’s legal historical past and the lively arrest warrants. Yeager added that she believed Lazo offered a neighborhood security threat as a result of his DUI historical past.
Lazo signed a waiver of extradition on the Oregon case, which means he might be turned over to Oregon authorities to cope with that case as soon as his native instances are closed.
Bail has been set at $10,000 for the Oregon case.
Lazo’s subsequent look in Lewis County Superior Court docket is an arraignment listening to scheduled for Thursday, June 2.
A information launch from the Centralia Police Division famous that Lazo is believed to be the identical one who sped away from Centralia police on Magnolia Road final month. The difficulty drew media consideration as a result of the truth that officers discontinued the chase because it moved by a neighborhood based mostly on their interpretation of latest state legal guidelines proscribing officers’ skill to pursue suspects.
State regulation prohibits police from getting concerned in high-speed pursuits with anybody not suspected of driving below the affect or violent or sexual crimes.
“Due to present Washington state regulation, officers had been prohibited from pursuing and had been compelled to permit the suspect and his feminine passenger to get away,” wrote the Centralia Police Division in a report on the incident.
As of Friday afternoon, no fees associated to that incident had been filed in Lewis County Superior Court docket.
