Man wanted in Montana allegedly on methadone in U.S. 2 chase

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 24, 2019

SNOHOMISH — A man wanted in Montana was likely high on methadone when he led Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies on a chase along U.S. 2 between Snohomish and Monroe early Thursday morning, according to court documents.

A sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over the Montana man, 27, shortly after midnight in the Monroe Park & Ride because he was reportedly driving with an unreadable temporary license plate tag.

The driver appeared slow to respond when the deputy turned on his emergency lights, according to a report. He drove in circles and appeared confused, the deputy wrote.

Then he allegedly accelerated and took off westbound on U.S. 2.

Throughout the chase, which reportedly topped 90 mph, the driver drifted from the center of the road to the shoulder several times, and periodically slowed down and sped up, the deputy wrote.

The man took the Bunk Foss Road exit. A deputy conducted a PIT maneuver, pushing the suspect’s car into a semi-truck that had pulled to a stop.

The man took off running, and a deputy chased after him. They ran toward a ravine to the east of Highway 9 and fell down an embankment, hitting several trees along the way.

The two fought each other on the ground. The deputy fired a stun gun, but the suspect kept fighting. The deputy then elbowed the man twice before handcuffing him.

The suspect reportedly said he had used methadone the day before. Methadone can be used to treat addiction to heroin and other narcotics, but also can be abused itself as a drug.

The man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of attempting to elude police, driving under the influence and resisting arrest. After obtaining a search warrant, a blood sample was taken to determine whether any drugs or alcohol were in his system.

In Montana, a $50,000 warrant was issued Monday for the suspect’s arrest, related to a police chase through Missoula, Montana.

On April 19, he sped through busy city streets, going 20 mph over the speed limit, according to court records. He eventually ran a red light and crashed into another car. His truck flipped onto its side in front of a pizza shop, nearly striking a child on the sidewalk.

As he was booked into the Missoula County Detention Facility, authorities found a bag of methamphetamine on him. His bail in Missoula was set to $250,000. He disappeared in early August.

He has two other charges from the past year, for drug possession and criminal endangerment.

It doesn’t appear he was wanted for homicide, as initially reported by a local law enforcement social media post.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.