Malden runaways arrested after second speed chase

The saga of two Malden teens, missing since Aug. 21, ended last Thursday, Sept. 3, in juvenile court here when both were ordered back to detention for failing to comply with conditions ordered. They had been allowed release on a case involving a break-in at the Rosalia swim pool July 19.

Chris Thornton, 15, and Ashley Varner, 13, were arrested last Wednesday, Sept. 2, south of Newport after a high speed chase. They were taken to the Pend Oreille County Jail in Newport after a second high speed chase.

The report on the arrest from Newport said officers were “shocked” when they discovered the driver of the 1997 Ford F250 pickup truck they had been chasing at speeds between 80 and 90 mph had been driven by a 15-year-old and the female passenger in the pickup was 13 years old.

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said between the time the duo departed Malden Aug. 21 and their arrest Sept. 2 they had been suspected of taking four vehicles and wrecking one of them, leading two high speed chases and breaking into a residence at Malden when they went through town Aug. 31.

Myers said investigation was also underway on how the duo sustained themselves for the 13 days they were on the road.

They were apprehended Sept. 2 south of Newport on probable charges of vehicular theft and felony eluding, but they were returned here for their Sept. 3 court appearances.

According to Sgt. Questin Youk from the Newport sheriff’s office, an off-duty officer from Priest River at about 11:30 a.m. spotted the 1997 Ford F-250 which had been reported stolen as it entered Washington from Idaho. A Fish and Wildlife officer recognized the pickup as it traveled south on Highway 2 and the chase began.

The chase extended two miles southbound on Highway 2 and then six miles northbound on Highway 211 which cuts off from Highway 2 near Sacheen Lake and continues north to Usk.

Sgt. Youk said the pickup pulled into a loop driveway at a residence, and one of the pursuit cars blocked the exit while the other followed the truck around the loop.

Sheriff Myers said the teens were in the same 1997 Ford truck which was the subject of a high speed chase on the Old Highway 195 road last Monday, Aug. 31. That chase ended when the Washington State Patrol trooper decided to break off the chase because of speeds which topped 100 miles an hour. He cut off the chase before reaching Plaza. Thornton was identified as the driver of the pickup at that time.

The runaway teens earlier on Aug. 31 were reported back in Malden where they were suspected of breaking into a residence and stealing a small amount of marijuana and some snack chips.

The owner of the residence later identified the two teens who departed the residence in the 1997 pickup truck. The truck had reportedly been stolen over the previous weekend at Longview.

The pickup was later spotted going northbound on the Old 195 Road between Rosalia and Plaza, and the WSP trooper attempted to stop it.

Information available indicated a .45 caliber handgun was inside the truck at the time it was taken in the Longview area.

The truck was believed to have been the fourth vehicle stolen by the duo.

They were believed to have been driving a stolen 2007 Ford Taurus when they left Malden and were later spotted in Spokane and at Silverwood Theme Park north of Coeur d’Alene. Sheriff Myers said a second vehicle was stolen in Shoshone County, Idaho, and used to drive to the Portland area in Oregon. A Honda Accord was taken in Oregon and found wrecked, and then the pickup with the pistol was taken from the Longview area.

Thornton and Varner reportedly first left Malden after an Aug. 20 hearing in Whitman County Juvenile Court where they had been charged with second-degree burglary Aug. 5.

That charge relates to a July 19 break-in at the Rosalia swim pool. A window was reportedly broken out of a door at the pool office. A concrete block was found in the office, and candy was taken from the pool office.

The arrest report noted a strand of blond hair was recovered from the doorway frame.

As a condition of release prior to their juvenile hearing, Thornton and Varner were ordered to not contact each other.

Thornton also faces charges of violating probation orders following convictions on two other juvenile court cases, one involving theft of an iPhone from another student on a school bus at the start of this year, and a 2014 case involving theft of a pickup at Rosalia.

The two Sept. 3 were ordered held in jail without bail after the state filed motions to revoke release which had been allowed on the pending Rosalia swim pool case.

Varner was found in violation of the release order which forbid her to associate with Thornton.

The judge revoked Thornton’s release after finding he had committed additional criminal offenses.

Next fact finding hearing dates on the pending Rosalia charges were set Sept. 24 for Varner and Oct. 22 for Thornton.

They were taken to the Martin Hall juvenile facility after the hearings.