‘Fairly substantial’ amount of meth seized after chase, crash, police say
A driver with a load of drugs for resale was arrested after a high-speed chase through the streets of Orting on Tuesday night that ended in a wreck south of town, according to police there.
The man, in his mid-30s, was hospitalized after fleeing on foot and being taken down by a Pierce County sheriff’s K-9 unit, Orting Police Chief Bill Drake said Wednesday.
Upon the man’s release, Drake said he is to be arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving without a license, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, attempting to elude police and second-degree burglary.
According to Drake:
About 11 p.m., an Orting police officer saw the man driving about 40 mph in a 25-mph zone and tried to pull it over.
The driver sped off and made a series of sharp turns to elude the officer, then left the city limits southbound on state Route 162.
He was traveling more than 80 mph when he reached Orville Road East and a vehicle pulled out in front of him in the opposite direction. He then tried to avoid the vehicle, but instead left the roadway and struck a large wooden box alongside the highway.
The man fled on foot, but a Pierce County sheriff’s K-9 tracked him down nearby.
“He was not injured from the crash, but the dog did what dogs do in that situation and bit the individual, so he went off to the hospital,” Drake said.
The man was initially taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup before being transferred to a larger hospital.
Officers are still going through the car after the search warrant, but they found several bottles of alcohol, marijuana packaged for resale, and a “fairly substantial amount” of methamphetamine. They suspected the man to have been intoxicated as he drove, so they performed a blood draw while he was at the hospital. The unlicensed driver also faces a second-degree burglary charge because he fled to private property after the crash.
Kenny Ocker: 253-597-8627, @KennyOcker
This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 3:10 PM with the headline "‘Fairly substantial’ amount of meth seized after chase, crash, police say."