Police Arrest Three Teens After Pursuit In Stolen Car Near Ephrata

Three juveniles are in custody after police say they stole a car and led officers on a brief pursuit in hazardous weather conditions in Grant County on Saturday morning.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says an all-points bulletin was issued throughout the region at around 6:30 a.m. after reports of a vehicle being stolen from a residence in the 100 block of Second Street in Mattawa.

About two hours later, an officer with the Ephrata Police Department initiated a traffic stop on the stolen car, but the driver fled as he was approaching to make contact with the occupants.

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Sheriff's spokesperson Kyle Foreman says the officer pursued the stolen vehicle onto both State Route 282 and Dodson Road Northwest before terminating the chase due to several factors, including poor weather conditions.

"For one, they're kids and probably not experienced drivers. They're also fleeing at a high rate of speed and driving into fog which makes it more dangerous for other motorists and for them, so it was smart for the Ephrata Police officer to terminate the pursuit."

Shortly after the pursuit was cancelled, a sheriff's deputy deployed spike strips at Dodson Road Northwest and Road 10.8 Northwest which flattened the vehicle's tires.

Deputies subsequently discovered the stolen car crashed in a ditch at Dodson Road Northwest and Road 4 Northwest, and the three boys, ages 14, 14, and 16, were found nearby hiding in an irrigation canal underneath the roadway.

Foreman says the boys were found in possession of two firearms, including a .22-caliber revolver and a .22-caliber rifle.

"The revolver was not stolen but the rifle was stolen out of Eugene, Montana."

Deputies say the boys were also found in possession of small amount of illegal drugs.

They were arrested and transported to the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, and attempting to elude police.

Foreman says there is no indication that the incident was gang-related.