Prison sentence for eluder who crashed at BMX park
MOSES LAKE — A man who crashed a car at a BMX park in Moses Lake after a pursuit will be spending a year behind prison bars.
Randy James, 20, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to attempting to elude. The charge carried with it a standard sentencing range of 12-14 months’ imprisonment. James received a one-year-and-one-day prison sentence.
James’ sentence stems from an incident on Sept. 27, when Moses Lake police attempted to pull over a 1998 Honda on West Marina Drive. The driver of the Honda, James, who was a convicted felon, refused to pull the vehicle over and took off. Officers chased the car through the lower Peninsula neighborhood and James crashed the Honda through a fence at the Larson Recreation Center and started driving toward the BMX park.
“James tried to navigate the obstacles with his vehicle, doing his best impression of a 13-year-old on a bicycle, but the jumps were no match for the 1998 Honda,” MLPD Capt. Mike Williams previously stated.
James climbed out the driver’s side window of the crashed car and attempted to run away but was taken into custody by an officer after a short foot pursuit. A passenger in the Honda fled the vehicle as well and attempted to run but was captured by police. Another occupant in the Honda stayed in the car and was released from custody.
Officers located drugs, a gun and ammunition in the Honda. James is no stranger to high-speed chases; he was previously sentenced for leading deputies on a lengthy chase in a stolen vehicle in October 2015. The incident ended after James barricaded himself in a home in the Lakeview community and later surrendered to police.
Become a Subscriber!
You have read all of your free articles this month. Select a plan below to start your subscription today.
Already a subscriber? Login
