A Tenino man with multiple active warrants was thwarted Sunday after fleeing two traffic stops and leading Centralia police and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) on a high-speed chase that concluded with a missing wheel and arrest on Interstate 5.
According to a press log from the Centralia Police Department, Trevor R. Todd, 51, was driving a green Audi A6 in Centralia at about 8 p.m. Sunday when patrol officers ran a routine Department of Licensing check on the vehicle’s registration.
That check alerted officers that the Audi had been used in “passing counterfeit money in Chehalis” earlier this year.
But when they attempted a traffic stop on Harrison Avenue, the Audi fled.
According to Centralia police, Todd drove “at speeds of well over 80 miles per hour north on Harrison Avenue towards Thurston County,” before officers ended the pursuit for community safety reasons.
TCSO deputies were then advised of the fleeing vehicle, according to Sheriff Derek Sanders, who wrote about the incident on Facebook later that night.
At about 8:30 p.m., deputies spotted the Audi.
“A TCSO deputy located the vehicle heading toward Tenino and attempted a traffic stop,” Sanders wrote. “The driver conducted a U-turn and a pursuit was initiated.”
Meanwhile, a second deputy set up spike strips along the road to halt the Audi.
The spikes were successful, deflating one of the Audi’s front tires. Todd nonetheless attempted to drive on the wheel’s rim, according to Centralia police.
He didn’t get far.
“As the driver tried to flee on I5, one of the wheels fell off the car and the driver surrendered,” Sanders wrote.
The sheriff added that deputies found the suspect “in possession of (a) large amount of counterfeit money and fake IDs.”
According to Sanders, Todd had multiple warrants “up and down the I-5 corridor,” including for third-degree theft, first-degree theft, forgery, motor vehicle theft and identity theft.
Centralia police noted that multiple warrants were out of Pierce and King Counties.
“The suspect was also involved in a fraud incident yesterday in Tumwater, and will be booked for new charges including attempting to elude,” Sanders wrote.
According to court records, Todd was scheduled for a preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court at 2:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 20.
According to Thurston County Jail records, Todd faces potential charges of possession of fictitious identification, third-degree driving with a suspended license, forgery and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. He faces additional charges out of Pierce and King Counties.
“Nice job by night shift deputies to get a career criminal off the road!” Sanders concluded in his post.
