ATV driver hard for cops to corral
Published 9:31 am Tuesday, November 13, 2007
DARRINGTON — When Arthur Thompson hears sirens and sees flashing lights, he revs up his ATV and speeds away, according to court documents.
Snohomish County prosecutors say the 40-year-old Darrington man has outrun sheriff’s deputies at least three times this year on a quad.
And those aren’t the run of the mill pursuits either, Superior Court documents say. Think flying dirt, hopping curbs, riding on two wheels and lots of obscene gestures, even if that means driving with one hand.
“I hardly ever take my quad on the road,” Thompson is quoted in court papers as telling police, “but when you guys flick the lights on, I take off.”
The most recent chase occurred Sept. 18 when Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were called to Mountain Loop Highway after a man reported seeing an ATV being driven in circles on and off the highway. Washington law mandates that ATVs must be licensed and follow the rules of the road when driving on highways.
When two deputies knocked on the door of Thompson’s trailer, he allegedly suddenly burst from his shed astride his quad, and zoomed away onto the road, according to court papers.
With their emergency lights flashing, deputies followed and tried to pull Thompson over, but he escaped, jumping his ATV over curbs and tearing across private property, documents allege.
Later that same day, deputies spotted Thompson again on his ATV, driving in circles at an intersection in Darrington. He allegedly shouted obscenities and sped away down a dirt alley.
The results were similar when the deputies encountered him a third time later in the day.
Thompson was finally arrested that evening when deputies found him in the back seat of a car during a traffic stop.
The September chases came while Thompson already was charged with felony eluding for an April incident that began when a deputy spotted him allegedly riding his quad on a Darrington street. When the deputy tried to pull him over, Thompson reportedly zipped away on the sidewalk.
At one point, Thompson “stopped in the middle of the road, looked back” at the deputy and “flipped (him) off using the middle finger,” deputy prosecutor Sean Reay said in court papers.
The defendant then reportedly sped away, taking a corner on two wheels.
The chase continued on the Mountain Loop Highway, into the nearby Cascades, with Thompson allegedly continuing a game of cat and mouse, punctuated by more obscene gestures, Reay wrote.
He was finally caught by a neighbor, who said he was tired of the reckless driving and was fighting with Thompson when the deputy caught up.
Another felony eluding charge was added last week for the September chases.
Thompson has four felony convictions and 25 misdemeanors, including reckless driving, hit and run and driving in a prohibited area.
