A transient man was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday for attempting to elude law enforcement on multiple occasions and drug possession.
Drew Patrick Lodahl, 31, was originally accused of trying to hit a Clark County sheriff’s deputy with his vehicle, prompting the deputy to fire his weapon, but he was acquitted by a jury last week of second-degree assault.
Jurors instead found Lodahl guilty of two counts of attempting to elude police and two counts of possessing a controlled substance — heroin and methamphetamine, stemming from an April 2017 incident on Northeast Sunset Falls Road.
During Tuesday’s sentencing in Superior Court, Judge Daniel Stahnke handed down 22 months each on the attempting to elude and 24 months each on the drug convictions. Lodahl was also sentenced to 45 days in a separate case for escaping community custody and 18 months in a third case for possession of heroin.
In addition to his prison sentence, Lodahl was ordered to undergo substance abuse treatment.
He told the court that he’s ready to turn his life around.
“I’m sorry to the community for my reckless behavior,” he said. He acknowledged that he’s had a drug problem for years and said, “It’s definitely not a life I want.”
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Deputy Timothy Gosch spotted a suspicious vehicle about 9:30 a.m. April 27, parked in a turnout in the 33800 block of Northeast Sunset Falls Road. He believed the two occupants were wanted for felony warrants and that the car, a black Honda Accord, was stolen.
The driver, identified as Lodahl, refused to leave the car. He instead started it, ignoring Gosch’s orders to stop, and sped toward the deputy, the affidavit states.
Gosch moved out of the way and fired one shot at the driver. The bullet hit the car, but no one was injured, court records said.
The suspect vehicle fled but was spotted about 90 minutes later. A deputy maneuvered behind the car, pinning it, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lodahl was also involved in a pursuit April 20 with a Vancouver police officer on Southeast 126th Avenue. He fled, at times driving into oncoming traffic and passing other vehicles at speeds in excess of 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, according to a separate probable cause affidavit.
