Two arrested after long chase

MOSES LAKE – An hour-long police chase around and through Moses Lake on the night of May 9 ended with two arrests.

Grant County Sheriff’s deputies answered a call for a possible in-progress theft of an off road vehicle at around 8:40 a.m. A citizen saw a pickup towing a trailer loaded with a suspected stolen ORV about five miles north of Moses Lake.

Arriving deputies tried to pull over the suspect vehicle, but the vehicle took off. Deputies pursued the truck and trailer down Stratford Road, through the Larson Housing area, through a field, back out to Stratford Road, into and through the City of Moses Lake, eastbound on Interstate-90, off a freeway exit and through the Moses Lake Sand Dunes.

At times, the truck and trailer reached speeds of more than 60 miles per hour, and at one point nearly struck a sheriff’s deputy’s car.

During the chase, the driver called 9-1-1 asking to speak to a sheriff’s office supervisor. Chief Deputy Ken Jones called the driver and spoke with him throughout most of the chase, urging the driver to stop at once.

The driver finally obeyed around 9:50 p.m., and the chase ended on Division Street near Jones Avenue in Moses Lake. All told, the chase traveled 20-plus miles.

Investigators learned the $6,000 Arctic Cat ORV on the trailer had been stolen from Skone and Connors Produce.

The truck’s driver, Michael J. Mendoza, 25 of Moses Lake, was arrested on suspicion of second degree assault with a motor vehicle, two counts of possession of stolen property, attempted eluding from police, first degree driving with a suspended license, and violation of ignition interlock requirement.

The passenger, Tiffany M. Olivera, 25 of Moses Lake, was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court on a charge of third degree theft. Both were lodged in the Grant County Jail.

The investigation continues and more charges are likely, the sheriff's office reported.