EVERETT — A Snohomish man with a history of dangerous driving is facing a felony assault charge after he allegedly rammed a stolen truck into a sheriff’s deputy.
Prosecutors say Keith Ryan Jones turned a traffic stop into a second-degree assault when he backed a big pickup into a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy’s pricey patrol motorcycle. The deputy was thrown from the motorcycle and into the path of traffic.
The deputy escaped being run over, but suffered minor injuries to his wrist. The county motorcycle was damaged to the tune of $7,443.42, according to court papers.
The incident happened around noon on May 7. The deputy spotted the truck speeding along I-5 and stopped the pickup on eastbound U.S. 2, just off the freeway. While the deputy was still on his bike, Jones, 33, reportedly threw the truck in reverse and plowed into the motorcycle.
Jones sped off, leaving tire marks on the pavement, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Laura Twitchell wrote.
Police discovered the stolen construction truck two days later in Monroe. Inside the pickup, they found a receipt for cigarettes from the Clearview Foodmart. Detectives caught a break when they discovered that Jones wasn’t camera shy. The store’s surveillance camera caught the suspect getting out of the stolen truck, going into the business and looking directly at the camera, Twitchell wrote.
Detectives released a picture of suspect to the media and received tips about his identity.
Investigators learned that Jones already was in jail. He’d been arrested a week after the incident on U.S. 2. Police said he was hauled off to jail for allegedly shoplifting from a Snohomish business.
Witnesses told detectives that Jones admitted he was driving a stolen truck when he backed into a deputy. He reportedly said he was trying to avoid being arrested for outstanding warrants.
Prosecutors on Friday charged Jones with second-degree assault, malicious mischief and possession of stolen property. He was being held on $250,000 bail.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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