Bail is set at $75,000 for a man who allegedly fled from a Washington State Patrol trooper on southbound Interstate 5 in Lewis County while high.
Robert Lewis Walker II, 38, of Kennewick, allegedly drove away from a trooper who pulled him over for speeding near Centralia on Saturday, Dec. 27, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
During the traffic stop, the trooper reportedly smelled “a strong odor of marijuana” coming from Walker’s vehicle and noticed that Walker displayed signs of being high.
The trooper who contacted Walker “opined the suspect's level of intoxication was ‘extreme,’” according to court documents.
Walker allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana an hour before he was pulled over.
Walker had reportedly agreed to perform a field sobriety test when he allegedly pulled away from the traffic stop at a high rate of speed.
Walker allegedly drove halfway on the shoulder for about a mile between Centralia and Chehalis before exiting at Exit 79, driving through a stoplight, jumping a curb and coming to a stop in the grass between the onramp and the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
Walker then allegedly exited his vehicle and fled on foot, jumping a fence and running into the parking lot of a shopping complex.
Troopers located Walker in the parking lot and placed him under arrest. He reportedly had a baggie of marjuana in his coat pocket at the time of his arrest.
Walker was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 9:45 p.m. on Dec. 27. He was charged Monday, Dec. 29, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of DUI and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
The alleged offense comes roughly a year after Walker was released from Department of Corrections custody for the first time since 2007, according to court documents.
Citing that criminal history and the threat that DUIs pose to the community, Court Commissioner Neita Cecil granted the prosecution’s request to set Walker’s bail at $75,000.
“The only difference between a DUI and vehicular assault is chance,” Cecil said.
Arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 8.
