Colville motorist arrested in chase

COLFAX – A Colville man is accused of fleeing Whitman County Sheriff’s Office deputies at speeds of more than 100 mph in a stolen car Sunday.

Gary Engebretesen, 37, of Colville, was arrested for an active state Department of Corrections warrant for felony escape, possession of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding, records show.

His arrest followed a high-speed chase after a deputy spotted a 1995 Ford Crown Victoria swerving, committing several traffic infractions, and looking like the driver might be under the influence of alcohol, Sheriff Brett Myers said.

“Shortly after the deputy activated his overhead lights to initiate the traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle immediately accelerated,” he said.

The Ford was passing vehicles at speeds of more than 100 mph, records show. The car slowed, turned, and drove off the highway and into a field, where a passenger exited the vehicle, records show. A deputy stopped and picked up the passenger.

The passenger was transported to Pullman Regional Hospital for a mental health evaluation, records show.

The driver pulled back onto the highway then into another field across the road, where it became stuck, records show. The driver fled.

“Deputies searched the area extensively, but were unable to locate the driver at that time,” Myers said.

A few hours later, deputies were notified of a pickup struck a parked vehicle on East Main Street in Pullman. It was abandoned near the Gladish Community Center.

The truck was stolen from a home near where the Ford was stuck, records show.

Pullman police found the driver walking toward downtown, just blocks from where the stolen truck was found, records show.