Washington Fugitive Arrested on I-84 with Meth, Faces Multiple Charges

A routine traffic stop near the Campbell Street interchange on Interstate 84 unraveled quickly on March 3 when Oregon State Police Trooper Tanner Bazer clocked a white 2004 Mazda 3 sedan at 101 mph and watched the driver hurl an object from the passenger window before pulling over.

The driver, Colton Magee Thomas, 32, was arrested about 3:30 p.m. and booked into the Baker County Jail on four charges: driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, possession of methamphetamine in a substantial quantity of 10 grams or more, and a fugitive warrant from Benton County, Washington, related to an identity-theft charge.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Trooper Bazer, Thomas was weaving through rapid lane changes at triple-digit speed when the trooper clocked him on radar. After the car stopped, Bazer walked back to the freeway shoulder and recovered the object Thomas had thrown: a sock containing a white crystal substance. In the affidavit, Bazer wrote that "based off my training and experience I recognized to be methampetamine."

Thomas showed additional signs of impairment at the scene. Bazer wrote that he smelled a "strong odor of alcohol" coming from Thomas' breath and observed that his pupils were constricted. A subsequent breath sample returned a blood alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice Oregon's legal limit of 0.08.

Two sources reported different Washington addresses for Thomas. One identified him as a Kennewick resident; the other listed Spokane Valley. Both cities are in Washington state, though Spokane Valley sits roughly 120 miles northeast of Kennewick. The discrepancy has not been resolved in available records, and the correct address should be confirmed against booking documents or the Benton County warrant.

Thomas was arraigned in Baker County Circuit Court on March 4, the day after his arrest. He remained in the Baker County Jail that evening on $50,000 bail. A plea date has been set for May 11 in Baker County Circuit Court.

The Mazda 3 was towed from the scene on I-84.