The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

This report just in from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:

Dayton - On February 18, 2016 Deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Quad Cities Drug Task Force, Garfield County Sheriff's Office, and the Washington State patrol Attempted to stop a 1999 Cadillac Deville in the parking lot of the Best Western Hotel in Dayton Washington, and the vehicle had to be physically stopped when the driver attempted to elude officers.

Officers were told that one of the occupants identified as Alex Ahumada a 30 year old Lewiston resident failed to appear in the Nez Pierce County (Idaho) Court for violation of his parole yesterday, and he has a felony warrant for his arrest. Ahumada also has a previous felony assault, kidnapping, and felon in possession of firearms convictions. Officers were further told that Ahumada has made statements that he was not going to go back to prison, and that he may be armed.

Quad Cities Task Force had also received information from a confidential source that Ahumada may have also purchased a pound of methamphetamine yesterday and has it in his possession.

Ahumada's vehicle was located by law enforcement in the parking lot of the Best Western Hotel in Dayton, and officers watched it as they waited for Ahumada and his associates to leave the hotel and return to the car. Once Ahumada and his associates were back in the car and attempting to leave the parking lot, officers attempted to stop the vehicle.

That's when the vehicle accelerated away from approaching marked patrol vehicles in reverse, in an attempt to flee the scene. Seeing the vehicle attempting to flee the scene, Sheriff Rocky Miller used a vehicle intervention technique, striking the front passenger side engine compartment of the suspect vehicle with his marked patrol vehicle adn causing the suspect vehicle to spin out of control.

The Sheriff, unable to stop his patrol vehicle, went over the embankment of the parking lot with his vehicle stopping at the bottom after striking the guard rail. Sheriff Miller was treated and released for minor injuries sustained when his vehicle came to a stop at the bottom of the embankment.

Once stopped, Ahumada kicked his way out of the damaged car in another attempt to escape, but was quickly taken into custody in the parking lot. The other three passengers were also taken into custody without incident. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 3/4 pound of a substance believed to be methamphetamine and $2700.00 in cash.

The people with Ahumada at the time of his arrest were the driver, identified as Julia Richardson, a 31 year old Lewiston resident; the right rear seat passenger, Geovanni Sanchez, a 22 year old Hermiston resident; and the left rear seat passenger who was identified as Elijio Mendoza, a 29 year old Hermiston resident.

All four subjects are being charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Additionally, the driver, Richardson, faces charges of attempting to elude a police vehicle. Ahumada also faces charges on the felony warrant out of Idaho on a probation violation

Mendoza also had a felony warrant out of Umatilla County for failure to appear on underlying charges off felony assault on a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, and resisting arrest.