A 40-year-old man is suspected of leading police on a high-speed chase on South Whidbey June 8 while carrying a butterfly knife, brass knuckles and meth, according to court documents.
The prosecutor charged Talen Robert Michael Sesera of Clinton in Island County Superior Court June 12 with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, driving while license suspended/revoked in the first degree, unlawfully carrying a dangerous weapon and possession of a controlled substance.
If convicted of the charges against him, Sesera could face up to a year and 10 months in prison under the standard sentencing range.
Sesera was released from jail after posting $30,000 bail.
A deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a report that he was conducting a routine patrol on June 8 when he recognized a Plymouth Voyager from a previous incident stopped at the intersection of Maxwelton Road and Highway 525.
He began following the minivan, which proceeded southbound down the highway and eventually turned into the parking lot of Naomi’s gas station, according to his report. The deputy recalled making eye contact with Sesera, who he recognized from previous law enforcement incidents. The minivan accelerated and pulled into a gravel parking lot adjacent to the gas station, traveling down an unmarked dirt drive.
The deputy caught up to the minivan on Langley Road. Being aware of the driver’s revoked license, he activated his flashers and attempted to pull Sesera over, according to the report. In its attempt to flee, the deputy noted that the minivan was traveling up to 90 mph in a 50 mph zone. The vehicle approached Langley city limits at approximately 74 mph.
The minivan led the deputy on a chase through Langley, blowing through a stop sign and evading an officer with the Langley Police Department. Eventually, it traveled to the dead end of Third Street and stopped in a gravel parking lot. The deputy ran the car’s registration and learned that it had stolen license plates from Mukilteo.
The deputy approached the minivan and found it empty but still running. Workers of the nearby businesses told him that they saw a male wearing a black “wife beater” and jeans running through some bushes as he fled the scene. The Langley officer reported seeing Sesera running down Camano Avenue.
The deputy arranged for the minivan to be towed. The tow truck driver recognized a Chevrolet Aveo coming into Langley that belonged to someone living at the same address as Sesera. The deputy headed to Clinton, where Sesera lives, and pulled into the parking lot of a business complex near the intersection of Bob Galbreath Road and Highway 525. He recognized a Chevrolet Aveo at the nearby 76 gas station and attempted to pull over the driver, who admitted Sesera was in the car.
The deputy discovered brass knuckles, a butterfly knife and meth when he arrested Sesera, the report states.