A transient man who rammed several patrol cars with his vehicle was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in prison.
Montgomery A. Hedges, 21, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to third-degree assault, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and driving while under the influence. As part of a plea deal, several other charges were amended or dismissed.
On June 13, bystanders reported finding a driver slumped over the steering wheel of a running vehicle in a parking lot in the 13500 block of Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard in Vancouver. The car was in gear, and the driver’s foot was on the brake, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Officers arrived about 5:50 a.m. and tried to talk to the driver, later identified as Hedges, but he appeared to be under the influence. Hedges took his foot off the brake, causing his car to crash into an unoccupied patrol vehicle, the affidavit said. Police continued to try to talk to Hedges, but he rolled up his window, put his car in gear and drove into the unoccupied police vehicle again, court records state. Hedges reversed and hit another unoccupied police car in an attempt to flee and then struck an occupied police car, according to court documents. A high-speed pursuit ensued and ended when Hedges hit a tree and was boxed in by patrol cars, the affidavit said. No officers were injured.
