A Vancouver man was arrested after he allegedly led police on a high-speed chase that spanned 20 miles of Cowlitz County early Sunday morning.
Longview police first tried to stop a black and gray 1994 Honda at about 12:50 a.m. for having severe cracks in its windshields, according to a Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office press memo.
The vehicle, with two occupants, did not stop and sped through Longview and Kelso at speeds exceeding 80 mph before going south on Old Pacific Highway South with Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies in pursuit, according to the memo.
Just north of Kalama, a Kalama police officer deployed a spike strip, but the vehicle swerved and missed it.
The vehicle then went south on Interstate 5 at speeds exceeding 105 mph, using all three lanes of the highway. The vehicle left the highway in Woodland, crashing after it drove through a yard, 6-foot fence and into the porch of a residence, according to the memo.
Police dogs assisted in locating the two occupants, who had fled into a drainage ditch. Longview police arrested the driver, Thomas H. Boyer, 25, of Vancouver and passenger Tawnya Robertson, a 29-year-old transient.
Both Boyer and Robertson were treated at area hospitals for injuries but were later transported to the Cowlitz County Jail.
Boyer was arrested on suspicion of felony eluding, a Department of Corrections warrant and additional charges. Robertson was arrested on suspicion of obstructing and resisting arrest.
