A Thurston County Superior Court judge has sentenced a 28-year-old man to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to injuring two deputies during a wild pursuit in January.
Judge Chris Lanese sentenced Elijah Ray Camacho on May 8.
The parties resolved the case with a plea deal less than four months after the Jan. 26 pursuit. Deputies arrested Camacho on suspicion of several crimes, including assaulting two deputies by ramming their vehicle head on. The Sheriff’s Office posted about the case on Facebook Thursday.
“TCSO is appreciative of both Superior Court and the Prosecutors Office for the resolution of this case,” the post says.
A new deputy recruit and their field training deputy were injured in the crash, according to the post. Both have recovered from their injuries, but the post says the recruit resigned their position and the vehicle was totaled. Other patrol vehicles that were damaged during the pursuit have reportedly been repaired.
Camacho pleaded guilty to several crimes on May 8, including two counts of second-degree assault against law enforcement as well as first-degree malicious mischief, attempting to elude police, possessing a stolen vehicle and driving under the influence.
Court records include a signed statement by Camacho in which he admits guilt. He said he tried to elude pursuing police vehicles after they activated their lights and sirens; he said he was under the influence of drugs at the time.
“At the time I was driving a stolen vehicle and drove recklessly to avoid being arrested,” Camacho said. “In my attempts to get away, I drove my vehicle into a police cruiser and through a golf course. I caused damage to the stolen vehicle, the police cruiser, and the property I drove through to avoid being detained.”
Lanese ordered an exceptional sentence above the standard range of 22-29 months for the two assault charges. In the end, Camacho was sentenced to 84 months for each of the two assault charges, despite not having any prior felony convictions.
Camacho does have an adult criminal history that dates back to 2015, but court records indicate it included misdemeanor offenses in Pasco Municipal Court as well as Thurston, Benton and Grays Harbor district courts.
Prior to this case resolution, Camacho was being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $150,000 bail, according to court records.
Tara Tsehlana, spokesperson for the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, shared a statement with The Olympian about the sentencing.
“This sentencing demonstrates our commitment to holding individuals accountable for actions that jeopardize public safety and the well-being of our law enforcement officers,” the statement says.
“Driving under the influence and engaging in dangerous high-speed pursuits are not only illegal but also pose significant threats to the community. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and prosecution staff who worked to resolve this case.”
What happened?
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the pursuit from the perspective of law enforcement.
The pursuit began at 1:27 a.m. Jan. 26 when a deputy noticed a black 2005 Ford F-350 speeding while traveling west on Martin Way East near Hensley Street Northeast, according to the statement.
The driver reportedly drove 90 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone, drove between lanes and was braking in an “odd manner,” according to the statement.
The deputy activated their emergency lights and pursued the driver onto Interstate 5. At one point, the driver reportedly stopped in the northbound fast lane and turned left through a grassy median to travel onto the southbound lanes.
The driver exited the highway at Martin Way and went west. Eventually, he south onto College Street, but the statement says he drove into oncoming traffic in the northbound lanes.
The deputy later conducted a successful precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, at the intersection of Ruddell Road and Yelm Highway Southeast, according to the statement.
As deputies prepared to arrest the driver, he reportedly rammed the front of a patrol vehicle then fled. The collision injured two deputies and they were transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia for treatment.
The driver drove through the county even as deputies attempted multiple PIT maneuvers, per the statement.
At one point, the statement says the driver turned onto the Capitol City Golf Course on Yelm Highway, “causing significant damage” to the property.
Later, the driver reportedly drove through a cattle fence into a large field. The statement says this caused the property owner about $10,000 in estimated damages.
The driver ultimately surrendered near the intersection of Old Highway 99 and Sussex Avenue in Tenino.
Deputies checked the vehicle and noticed the ignition was significantly damaged and the rear passenger window was broken, according to the statement. They later determined the vehicle had been reported stolen in Olympia.
Inside the vehicle, deputies say they recovered user amounts of marijuana and a bag with a white powdery substance.
