PORT TOWNSEND — A Neah Bay man has pleaded guilty to felony eluding law enforcement officers and driving under the influence of alcohol in a chase that occurred on New Year’s Day.
Alexander Warrick Wise, 23, was sentenced Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $652.50 in legal financial obligations.
In an agreed recommendation from both county prosecutors and defense counsel, Wise will have 364 days in jail suspended for two years provided he has no further law violations.
Judge Keith Harper ordered a substance-abuse evaluation prior to a July 10 review hearing.
A third charge for misdemeanor hit-and-run was dismissed.
Wise also will be required to have an ignition interlock device, and he can’t refuse law enforcement’s request for a blood-alcohol content test or he will serve a mandatory 30 days in jail, according to court documents.
Wise was arrested Jan. 1 after he allegedly rammed a vehicle driven by a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy, ran over a fence and a propane tank, and then led law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions on a high-speed chase through Port Townsend.
When pursuing officers briefly called off the pursuit due to public safety concerns, reports to dispatchers referred to a person driving erratically, allegedly hitting road signs and another vehicle in a hit-and-run collision, according to the police report.
Eventually, officers re-engaged and used a pursuit-intervention technique to disable Wise’s vehicle as he attempted to turn onto Airport Road, the report said.
A preliminary screening showed Wise’s blood-alcohol content to be 0.216, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to the report.
“It sounds like he knew he made a mistake based on my conversation with counsel,” said Chris Ashcraft, the county’s chief criminal deputy prosecuting attorney. “We just don’t want to see it happen again.”
Wise has been held in jail on $200,000 bail since Jan. 1 based on what Harper called “the very extreme risk to the safety of the community.”
“He’ll get ‘good’ time, but he’s still got a little time to serve,” Ashcraft said.
Scott Charlton of Jefferson Associated Counsel said Wise was grateful nobody was hurt.
“I’m very sorry for what I’ve done,” Wise said as he addressed the court.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
