PORT ANGELES — A North Carolina man accused of shooting a sheriff’s deputy with a stun gun and leading a high-speed chase through Olympic National Park is set to be arraigned today.
Dale R. Langevin, 27, is scheduled to enter a plea to one count each of third-degree assault against a peace officer with a projectile stun gun, disarming a police officer and resisting arrest in Clallam County Superior Court.
Langevin, who was charged Tuesday, remained Thursday in the county jail on $50,000 bail.
Deputy account
Deputies gave this account of the incident:
Langevin got into a Nissan Versa parked at the Forks Shell Station with the keys still in it and drove off at about 1:30 p.m. July 10.
A delivery man who saw Langevin get into the car went into the store to tell the car’s owner his car had been stolen.
The car owner and the store owner followed the car, which reached speeds of 85 mph, east on U.S. Highway 101.
Park Ranger Art Sandison spotted the car on Highway 101 in the park, driving east of the Fairholme General Store/campground at Lake Crescent.
When Sandison switched on his emergency lights and attempted to stop the car, Langevin made a U-turn and began driving into oncoming traffic.
He swerved around a logging truck and forced several other vehicles off the road at Fairholme hill before Deputy Gene Hoagland caught up with him.
Langevin eventually pulled over and got out of the car, but Hoagland said he refused all commands given to him. He finally gave up after the deputy threatened to use a Taser stun gun on him.
But while Sandison and Hoagland were moving to handcuff Langevin, he began resisting again and knocked Hoagland’s Taser from his hand.
Langevin picked up the Taser and fired it once, hitting Hoagland in the right buttock with one of the stun gun probes.
Sandison got control of Langevin’s wrist and, with the help of Hoagland and another park ranger, restrained Langevin’s hands and feet.
Sgt. Eric Munger with the Sheriff’s Office said the owner of the car and the gas station owner eventually caught up with Langevin after he was arrested along Highway 101.
The stolen car was recovered, Munger said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
