Three arrested after chase and crash

A Nespelem man and two women from Omak ran into trouble and fruit crates Monday evening before Okanogan County Sheriff's deputies arrested them on several charges, the sheriff said.

When a deputy tried to pull over a Ford F-250 in connection with thefts from a Tonasket retail store, the driver wouldn't stop, reached a dead end, then turned and tried to run into the deputy's vehicle, Sheriff Tony Hawley said in a press release. "Deputy Ray was able to accelerate and swerve away to narrowly avoid a collision," Hawley said.

Hawley said a pursuit in Tonasket was authorized because of that "attempted assault."

Four minutes later, the pickup, driven by Jory Vallee, 33, of Nespelem, crashed into a stack of fruit bins and stopped, the sheriff said.

Vallee took off on foot, as did two women in the pickup. A deputy caught the women quickly, but Vallee headed for the Okanogan River.

Several other deputies responded, and the Tonasket fire department helped with a boat the prevented Vallee from heading down river, Hawley said.

Deputies took Vallee was in custody at 6:42, about an hour after the chase started.

Vallee was booked into the county jail for attempted first-degree assault, attempting to elude, obstructing a public servant and third-degree theft, Hawley said.

The two women, Koleby Smith, 25, and Kreeonna Smith, 19, both of Omak, were also booked on charges of third-degree theft and obstructing a public servant.