CARLSBORG — A Port Angeles man remained in the Clallam County jail Saturday after reportedly crashing his car into a power pole following an attempted escape from a traffic stop.
The arrest last week is the second this year involving a car chase for Christopher M. White, 24, who was arrested June 10 in the woods near the 200 block of Bishop Road after allegedly driving a stolen car at speeds reaching 100 mph.
White was arrested Wednesday afternoon by sheriff’s deputies for investigation of attempting to elude a police vehicle and two outstanding felony warrants.
This arrest followed a brief pursuit that ended in the 800 block of Lewis Road north of U.S. Highway 101 in the Carlsborg area.
White allegedly fled the car, which had struck a power pole, leaving two unidentified passengers behind.
The man was treated and released on the scene, while the woman was taken to Olympic Medical Center, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Both had minor injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested White near Heuslein Road not long after the car was found.
White’s bail is set at $25,000, according to Clallam County Superior Court documents.
White is expected to be charged Monday in this case, according to court documents.
Deputy’s account
The Sheriff’s Office gave this account of the events leading up to White’s arrest:
Deputies were called to the Walmart in east Port Angeles at about 4 p.m. after store security called 9-1-1 to say that a car in the parking lot was the same one connected with a shoplifter the day before.
The car left before deputies arrived but was seen later by a Deputy Matt Murphy heading east on Highway 101 toward Sequim.
Murphy followed the car and pulled it over on Lewis Road. He was approaching the car on foot when it sped away.
Murphy gave chase briefly but stopped after determining it was too dangerous to continue at high speed along the rural road.
Murphy later would find the damaged car while Sgt. Randy Pieper with the Sheriff’s Office found and arrested White without incident.
Failure to appear
One of the felony warrants for which White was arrested Wednesday stemmed from his failure to appear in Superior Court for a Sept. 5 case status hearing for the June 10 arrest.
White had been charged in that case with one count of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
The last time White appeared in court for this case was Aug. 2 after he was released on his own recognizance July 30, according to court documents.
White has a criminal history in Clallam County, according to Superior Court documents, that includes multiple arrests and jail time for assault charges.
Most recently, White pleaded guilty in May 2011 to second-degree assault following the attack of a woman in January that year.
White was ordered to serve 13 months in jail and 18 months’ community custody.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
