Moses Lake man jailed after police chase

A Moses Lake man was booked into the Grant County Jail, after he and two passengers led Grant County Sheriff’s deputies on a chase in a vehicle early Tuesday morning.

The chase ended when the driver crashed his truck near O’Sullivan Reservoir at Potholes State Park, 6762 Highway 262 East, in Othello.

Christopher Howard, 46, the driver, was booked Tuesday night in the Grant County Jail for investigation of second-degree burglary and eluding law enforcement officers. The passengers were not charged as of Wednesday morning.

Howard and his passengers were attempting to flee, after they allegedly were seen loading tires in the truck at about 3 a.m. Tuesday at Commercial Tire, 12878 N. Frontage Road East. Deputies were patrolling due to reports of burglaries in the area, according to a Grant County Sheriff’s Office release.

The pickup and its occupants took off, leading deputies on a chase that topped 90 mph and ended near O’Sullivan Reservoir. As they tried to flee, the truck’s occupants threw objects out the back in an attempt to disable pursuing patrol cars, the press release said.

The pickup crashed at state Route 262 and Road M Southeast at the T intersection, the press release said. Howard was extricated from the truck.

Howard was treated at Samaritan Healthcare. The passengers in the truck, Andrew Palmen, 26, and Rikki Garcia-Lalk, 26, both of Moses Lake, were treated and released from Samaritan.