Man charged for leading police on chase

by Richard Byrd
| March 31, 2017 3:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man admitted to being high on methamphetamine while leading Moses Lake police on a high-speed chase that reached speeds over 100 mph.

Grant County prosecutors charged Brandon McNew, 22, of Moses Lake, with attempting to elude.

About 5:35 p.m. March 25 a Moses Lake Police Department officer was traveling on Parkway Drive Northeast, toward Longview Drive Northeast, behind a GMC Yukon. The driver of the Yukon, alleged to be McNew, entered Longview Drive and began to turn south, but he reportedly “initiated a spin,” according to court documents.

After the spin McNew began accelerating and started heading north on Longview Drive Northeast, traveling along the road until turning right on Olympic Drive Northeast. McNew allegedly made a right turn onto Olympic Drive and drove over a curb and through the lawn of a residence and continued driving south on Miller Drive Northeast.

McNew continued driving and eventually turned onto Stratford Road and started heading north. McNew continued to accelerate while on Stratford Road and allegedly reached speeds in excess of 110 mph in the 6000 block of Stratford Road. McNew slowed down and moved to the east shoulder. He reportedly went off the road and started traveling through a field toward Ferguson Road. McNew made his way onto Ferguson Road and made a series of turns until coming to a closed cattle gate on Walker Road Northeast.

“The Yukon slowed, but continued through the closed gate at approximately 40-50 mph, striking it with the front of the vehicle. The Yukon then continued northbound on Walker Road, before going off the eastern edge of the roadway into a field,” wrote a MLPD officer.

McNew reportedly drove into a chain link fence, which caused the Yukon to come to a stop. McNew got out of the vehicle and started running through a field, but gave up and surrendered to police after running for about 1,100 feet.

Police reportedly located several items inside the Yukon that had been reported stolen from a vehicle in Moses Lake earlier in the day. McNew claimed a woman gave him the property so he “could return it” to the owner. McNew also admitted to smoking meth before the chase and conceded that his meth use played a role in his thought process and decision making.