High-speed chase: Missing teens make quick stop at Malden

Two Malden teenagers, ages 15 and 13, who have been reported missing since Aug. 21, were reported back in Malden Monday evening where they are suspected of burglarizing a house and departing in a Ford F-250 pickup truck which had been reported stolen at Longview over the weekend.

The pickup truck was spotted later heading northbound on the Old Highway 195, and Washington State Patrol troopers attempted to stop the truck. The chase was broken off for safety reasons because the pickup was traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour as it approached Plaza in Spokane County.

The two teens have been identified as Ashley Varner, 13, and Christopher Thornton, 15.

Thornton was identified as the driver of the pickup truck Monday as it fled north on Old 195.

The owner of the residence in Malden where the duo allegedly entered earlier in the evening identified them as Varner and Thornton.

A small bag of marijuana and a bag of snack chips were allegedly taken from the Malden residence.

According to a sheriff’s report issued Friday, the two runaways had been spotted earlier at the Silverwood Theme Park in north Idaho and were later believed to be in the Portland area.

The first report this week said the teens at that time were believed to have been driving a stolen 2007 Ford Taurus.

Their location in the Portland area was derived from tracking information on one of the cellphones which had been used by the teen.

Missing person information on the two teens has been posted on Facebook.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the teens is asked to call the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office Monday asked for assistance in locating the two runaways because they have been missing for 10 days. At the start of the week they said they do not believe the teens were in any immediate danger, according to a report by Sheriff Brett Myers.