Police vehicle pursuit results in Waitsburg power outage

WAITSBURG – In the late afternoon of November 29, Waitsburg was the scene of a vehicle accident on the north side of town following a 20-mile police pursuit by Walla Walla Police.

The suspects' vehicle, a motorhome, damaged three power poles near the intersection of Preston Avenue (Highway 124) and Coppei Avenue (Highway 12.) The motorhome landed in a lot across from Preston Park, ending the chase. It left Main Street commercial and residential customers in the dark for several hours.

The pursuit began in Walla Walla around 5:30 p.m. when officers from the Walla Walla Police Department observed a motorhome driving erratically and without license plates near Highway 12 on North Second Avenue in Walla Walla.

After attempts to stop the vehicle failed, including a rear-end collision with an unrelated vehicle, the subject vehicle accelerated, exceeding the speed limit as it headed east on Highway 12. The police judged the public threat high, and the need to intervene outweighed the risks of a high-speed chase. The suspects' vehicle continued through Dixie and into Waitsburg at speeds above 75 miles an hour. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office responded to a request from Walla Walla law enforcement to place spike strips on Coppei Avenue to disable the suspects' vehicle. After entering Waitsburg the motorhome's tires were deflated after hitting the strips.

The subjects continued driving at high speed as they approached the intersection of Preston and Coppei. The driver of the R.V. lost control and damaged three power poles before stopping across from Preston Park on Coppei.

The male driver was seriously injured, and first responders had to extract him from the vehicle. He was treated and transported to an area hospital. The female passenger was able to exit the vehicle on her own and was later charged. The driver was identified as Isaiah G. Guillen, 28, of Tennessee Colony, Texas. He had two outstanding warrants for his arrest, a parole violation from Texas, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

A power outage caused by the R.V.'s collision with the power poles was reported at 6:39 p.m. Pacific Power employees and a contract crew were dispatched from Walla Walla and arrived on the scene at 7:23 p.m. They observed lines on the ground, two poles down, and a third that would need to be replaced due to damage.

According to an official from Pacific Power, the initial outage immediately affected 252 customers. The crews switched most of those customers to a different power source by 9:14 p.m., reducing the number of affected customers to 38. Thirty minutes later, the outage impact was reduced to only three customers, with power restored by 3:00 a.m.

The following morning, residents woke up to find the damage repaired and reflective bands added to the new poles for increased visability. The Waitsburg city crew took over from the Pacific Power crews to remove the debris from the street and sidewalks, including glass and metal. By early morning, it was impossible to find evidence of the previous night's dramatic events.