Man sentenced for taking occupied car

EPHRATA - A Moses Lake man will serve more than two years in prison after stealing an occupied car in attempt to escape police.

Guadalupe R. Sanchez, 25, pleaded guilty to attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and taking a motor vehicle without permission.

Two counts of kidnapping in the first degree were dropped as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.

"Based on information provided at the time of initial charging the two counts of kidnapping were appropriate," Prosecutor Angus Lee stated. "However, after that time we learned that the two persons in the car were friends of his and have stated that they were not afraid, did not feel they were being held against their will, and did not want to press charges."

Sanchez' prior convictions include residential burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, taking a motor vehicle without permission and theft in the second degree. The combination of current crimes and past convictions led to a sentencing range from one year and 10 months to two years and five months in prison.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Knodell followed the joint recommendation of prosecutors and defense attorneys, sentencing Sanchez to the maximum end of the range.

Moses Lake police spotted Sanchez, who had a warrant for his arrest, in the Moses Lake Walmart parking lot as he was walking toward the store. When the officer stopped his patrol car, Sanchez ran, getting into a Honda that was idling in the parking lot, according to the police report. Two people were sitting in the car when he took it.

Officers chased Sanchez through Moses Lake, reaching speeds of 80 mph, until Sanchez parked the car in a Maple Drive driveway, leaving the driver's side door open and the two people in the vehicle, according to the police report. Officers found him hiding in bushes near Crab Creek.