Moses Lake man charged for stolen vehicle, DUI

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was charged after he was stopped in a stolen vehicle and admitted to being under the influence of methamphetamine.

Grant County prosecutors charged Jose Macias Jr., 19, of Moses Lake, in Grant County Superior Court with possession of a stolen vehicle, DUI and third-degree driving with a suspended or revoked license.

On July 15 a Moses Lake Police Department officer spotted Macias behind the wheel of a passenger vehicle heading east on Wheeler Road. Macias was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt and the officer pulled the vehicle over, according to court documents.

Macias was not able to produce a driver’s license, the registration for the car or proof of insurance. He claimed the vehicle was not his and it belonged to a friend, but he reportedly gave police different names until finally coming to a legitimate name. The officer discovered the vehicle’s license plate number showed the vehicle was registered to a person who lives in Lind.

“I went up to the vehicle and ran a check on the tab that was on the plate. Macias inquired if everything was OK. It appeared as if Macias was getting nervous at this point,” wrote a officer. “I informed him that the plates on the vehicle were expired but it had a tab that possibly didn’t belong to the vehicle. Macias stated he had nothing to do with that and had no clue that there was something wrong with the plate or he wouldn't have been driving it.”

The vehicle was later found to have been stolen and Macias was taken into custody. Macias again claimed someone had let him borrow the vehicle, with the passenger in the car giving police a similar story about who had loaned Macias the car. Police found drug materials in the vehicle and Macias admitted to smoking meth earlier in the day.

“Macias stated that he had used it approximately five hours prior. He stated that he has ADHD and that the meth helped with calming him down. He stated that was the reason he was so calm, because he was on meth at the moment,” wrote an officer.

Macias’ arrest is not the first time he has been stopped in a stolen vehicle. On New Year’s Eve Macias led deputies on a pursuit in a vehicle that was stolen from the Larson community. Macias pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle and attempting to elude in connection with the incident and received a four-month jail sentence.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.