Man faces allegation of assault on deputy

A man who allegedly grabbed the arm of a Clark County sheriff’s deputy, dragging him along with his fleeing vehicle, and then rammed a patrol car appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Alexander J. Leach, 23, of Lexington, S.C., appeared on suspicion of two counts of first-degree assault, attempting to elude, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

Court records indicate that Leach has lived in the area for about six months.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Monday, deputies checked on a potentially disabled vehicle near Northeast 87th Street and Northeast 117th Avenue, and contacted Leach. Dispatch informed deputies that Leach’s driver’s license was suspended out of South Carolina, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

Deputies said they also suspected Leach was under the influence, because of his slow speech and a strong smell of marijuana coming from his vehicle. While they waited for Washington State Patrol troopers to arrive and assist with a drug-recognition evaluation, Leach became verbally aggressive, deputies said, and refused to comply, the affidavit states.

A deputy standing outside Leach’s driver’s-side window yelled at him to stop reaching for something in the center console. Leach then grabbed the deputy’s arm through the open window and sped off, dragging the deputy several feet. The deputy was able to stay upright and wrested his arm from Leach’s grasp, court records said.

Deputies attempted to block Leach’s vehicle, but he turned around in a driveway and drove straight into a patrol vehicle. His vehicle bounced off and began traveling north on Northeast 117th Avenue. He left a female passenger behind, according to court documents.

Pursuing deputies forced Leach’s vehicle to stop around the 9100 block of 117th Avenue by pinning his vehicle between two patrol cars, the affidavit said.

No one was injured during the incident, the sheriff’s office said.

On Tuesday, Judge Bernard Veljacic set Leach’s bail at $300,000. He will be arraigned Friday.