Moses Lake man faces nearly two years in prison

EPHRATA - A Moses Lake man was sentenced to nearly two years in prison after he led police on a chase through Moses Lake in May.

Michael J. Mendoza, 25, of Moses Lake, pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and second degree possession of stolen property, according to court records.

Prosecutors also initially charged Mendoza with second degree assault, first degree driving while license suspended and operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock, according to court records. The felony and two gross misdemeanors were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

"Although there was evidence of very bad driving, there was not sufficient evidence of an attempt to intentionally strike anyone with his car," Prosecutor Angus Lee stated.

Mendoza's prior felony convictions include second degree burglary, second degree malicious mischief, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence and hit and run, according to court records. When combined with his present convictions, he faced a sentencing range of a year and five months to a year and 10 months in prison.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz followed the prosecutor's recommendation, sentencing Mendoza to the maximum end of the range.

"The facts of this case related to the crimes he was convicted of were egregious which called for a max sentence," Lee stated.

The Moses Lake-area police chase started after a Road H.1 Northeast resident saw a group of people disassembling an "Arctic Cat"-style off-road vehicle, according to a Grant County sheriff's report. When a deputy arrived on the property, the people ran and hid. After the deputy left, the group loaded the vehicle onto a trailer and drove away.

A deputy spotted the truck pulling a trailer on Road 10 Northeast. When the officer signaled it to pull over, Mendoza didn't stop. The chase continued with the truck turning onto Stratford Road, driving at speeds between 55 mph and 60 mph, and crossing the center line, according to the police report.

Police chased Mendoza on several county roads, where the man ran stop signs and cut corners, until he pulled into the former Larson Air Force base area, according to the police report. Officers followed him through several streets as Mendoza nearly hit parked cars along the side of the streets.

Officers attempted to trap him on Travis Drive by blocking the street, but Mendoza went around the car by driving on a lawn, according to the police report. Mendoza ended up back on Stratford Road, entering Moses Lake. He forced cars to the side of the road as he went through the Stratford Road and Valley Road intersection.

He continued on Broadway Avenue, reaching 60 mph, before turning onto Interstate 90. Mendoza exited at Hanson Road, turned onto Frontage Road and drove through the Moses Lake sand dunes area, according to court records.

Police caught Mendoza after he ran over a spike strip on Potato Hill Road, and stopped on Division Street. Officers found the off-road vehicle and the trailer it was on were stolen.