Bail is set at $50,000 for a Chehalis man accused of leading police on a high-speed pursuit in the Napavine area that led to an officer crashing into a ditch and ended with a deputy holding the suspect at gunpoint on Tuesday.
Edmond Manuel Ferry II, 43, is accused of fleeing from a Napavine police officer who attempted to pull him over for not having license plates on his pickup truck on eastbound state Route 508, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
Ferry allegedly fled from the officer at high speeds, passing other vehicles and driving into oncoming traffic.
Law enforcement personnel who joined the pursuit estimated that Ferry’s vehicle reached speeds of up to 100 mph during the pursuit.
Ferry allegedly made “several 180-degree turns to evade the officer,” with a Napavine patrol car reportedly nearly colliding with a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle as both attempted to stop the fleeing truck.
A witness later told police that Ferry’s vehicle almost struck the witness and his son as they were pulling into their driveway, according to court documents. The witness reported that he had to pull his vehicle into a ditch to avoid being struck.
At one point during the pursuit, the pursuing Napavine police officer reportedly “lost control of his vehicle and it went into a ditch.”
A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy was reportedly able to stop the truck, at which point the deputy reportedly “held the suspect at gunpoint.”
The Napavine officer soon arrived and took the suspect, identified as Ferry, into custody.
Ferry allegedly admitted to the officer that he was under the influence of meth at the time of the incident, according to court documents.
A sample of Ferry’s blood was extracted for testing at the hospital before Ferry was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 8 p.m. on June 10.
Ferry was reportedly on Department of Corrections supervision and had an outstanding warrant at the time of the incident.
He was charged Wednesday, June 11, with one count each of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and escape from community custody.
“The state submits that Ferry is an obvious flight risk and a danger to the community, especially to other motorists,” the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office stated in the affidavit of probable cause.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager granted the prosecution’s request for $50,000 bail due to community safety risks and Ferry's warrant history, describing the 71 warrants on his record as “the worst warrant history I’ve heard during my time on the bench.”
Yeager also approved a provision to Ferry’s conditions of release prohibiting Ferry from driving a motor vehicle until his case is resolved.
Arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18.
