EVERETT — Andrew Holden apparently likes to steal cars. And when the police try to stop him, he has a history of mashing the gas pedal to the floor and trying to drive away, sometimes hitting speeds of 100 mph on Snohomish County streets.
In February, Holden tried to outrun police while at the wheel of a stolen Honda. The chase ended in downtown Everett in a tangle of cop cars crashing into one another and injuries for four police officers.
On Thursday, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Cowsert sent Holden to prison for nearly seven years — the maximum punishment available under law.
“He’s off the street a pretty long time for a property crime,” deputy prosecutor Walt Sowa said after the hearing.
Holden got roughly five years behind bars for the car chase. The judge also ordered him to serve two years that earlier were waived when Holden caught a break in 2008 and was allowed to trade prison time for participation in a program designed to help drug-addicted offenders get clean.
“There’s a lot I’d like to say, but I don’t think it advisable,” Holden, 32, of Seattle, told the judge before sentencing.
He pleaded guilty April 7 to one count of attempting to elude police and two counts of possessing stolen vehicles. The guilty plea came so quickly that police still are untangling the bureaucratic mess created by the Feb. 3 chase and crashes.
Holden already was a seven-time felon, all for crimes connected to auto thefts, when a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy spotted him at the wheel of a stolen Honda near Mill Creek. When the deputy turned on his flashing lights, Holden took off toward Everett.
The defendant at the time was wanted on warrants by the state Department of Corrections, which had been supervising his release. A few days earlier, he’d also been the subject of a police media alert, announcing that he faced arrest in connection with a flurry of auto thefts in Lynnwood.
Investigators believed that between Jan. 12 and Jan. 23, Holden stole four different Hondas. He was linked to the thefts through fingerprints and other forensic evidence, according to court papers.
As part of his guilty plea this month, prosecutors agreed not to charge him with those crimes although he still must pay restitution to the victims.
Holden also has agreed to pay what promises to be thousands of dollars in restitution to Snohomish County and the city of Everett.
The police chase ended at the intersection of Broadway and Hewitt Avenue. Four patrol cars involved in the chase were damaged. Two sheriff’s deputies and two Everett police officers were injured.
The worst injuries were to an Everett officer who broke both wrists and one knee. He was hurt when a sheriff’s deputy, rushing southbound on Broadway, slammed into two patrol cars that had been parked in the roadway, just north of the intersection with Hewitt Avenue.
Everett police have been investigating the collisions. The sheriff’s office is waiting the results of that investigation before initiating next steps, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
“This is routine,” she said. “Once the collision investigation is complete the undersheriff will review it and determine whether to order an internal investigation.”
The city of Everett is working to determine the total costs of the incident, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said. Once that’s completed, officials will determine the best next steps to recover the costs, she said.
Herald writer Jackson Holtz contributed to this report.
Scott North: 425-339-3431, north@heraldnet.com
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