Current conditions unavailable
The three men arrested Thursday after a high-speed chase from Lewis County to Thurston County that resulted in the seizure of multiple firearms and two Jaws of Life devices following an interrupted burglary in Chehalis made their first appearances in Lewis County Superior Court Friday afternoon.
Collectively, the suspects were handed a bail of just over $1 million.
According to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when deputies responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 200 block of Hamilton Road in Chehalis.
Dash cam footage from a law enforcement vehicle shows two deputies approaching a black Mercedes on foot from both sides of the car. The deputies tell the driver to roll the windows down and turn off the car. Instead, the Mercedes accelerates past them.
A chase ensues, with law enforcement speeds at one point topping 130 mph. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies pursued the suspects north on Interstate 5 and then east onto Old Highway 99 toward Tenino. The pursuit ended on state Route 507 north of Bucoda.
“Two suspects fled on foot, but thanks to the quick, coordinated work of our deputies, all three were safely taken into custody,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release. “A search warrant was executed on the suspect vehicle, revealing multiple firearms, one of which had been reported stolen. Deputies also recovered several burglary tools and two Jaws of Life.”
The three suspects were booked into Lewis County Jail with charges that included attempting to elude, second-degree burglary, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance, making and having burglary tools and resisting arrest.
Paul P. Patterson, 41, Tacoma, was handed the largest bail of the three on Friday: $500,000 cash or bond, per the state’s request. Judge J. Andrew Toynbee noted the extreme measures taken to evade capture, along with Patterson’s extensive criminal history, which includes 18 prior felonies — seven of them burglaries — according to Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead.
“He had a clean streak there from 2019 to 2022 because he was in prison,” Halstead said during the hearing.
Rachel Hunt has been appointed to represent Patterson.
Vicente M. Lloret, 22, Tacoma, received a bail of $300,000 cash or bond, as requested by the state, based on the nature of the incident and the effort to evade capture. Halstead noted during his request that Lloret has a prior eluding case out of Pierce County that includes a no-bail warrant.
Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller responded that she saw no previous convictions or felony history in the information she was provided on Lloret. It is unclear whether this is because Lloret has a number of akas, as Halstead previously asserted.
Attorney Joshua House has been appointed to represent Lloret.
Carl W. Rakos, 48, Pacific, received the lowest bail amount of $250,000. Christopher Baum has been appointed to represent him.
All three suspects will appear in court Aug. 21 for arraignment and trial setting.
The affidavits of probable cause — documents filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office to outline details in law enforcement investigations that merit criminal charges — were not available as of Friday night.
This article will be updated.
