Fast driving leads to wanted man’s arrest

A man with warrants for his arrest was caught after he drove his rental van 25mph over the speed limit and drew the attention of a Washington State Patrol Trooper.

A man with warrants for his arrest was caught after he drove his rental van 25mph over the speed limit and drew the attention of a Washington State Patrol Trooper.

Aaron John Declements, 30, of Bremerton, was charged with possession of stolen property in the second degree.

According to a WSP report, Declements was allegedly driving a U-Haul van 85 mph on northbound State Route 3 near the Newberry Hill exit on July 5. The speed limit is 60. A WSP Trooper saw the speeding van, pulled the van over to the shoulder and watched Declements and his passenger switch seats.

Declements told the officer he did not have a driver’s license and then told the officer his name was “Aaron James Olson.”

Declements was armed with two knives, the report stated, so the officer told him to keep his hands up. Declements then bolted and ran down a hill through some blackberry bushes and the officer gave chase. The officer fired two stun gun shots. The first shot missed, but the second one found its mark. Declements fell to the ground and according to the report said “Okay, stop, stop.”

Declements remained on the ground for 10 seconds and then ran away a second time, climbed over the fence and jogged away. The officer returned to the U-Haul.

A black 8mm BB gun was found at the site. “It was nearly impossible to tell it was not a real gun,” the report stated. Declements real name was found on paperwork inside the van. Kitsap County Sheriff’s Deputies ran Declements through their records and found he had multiple warrants issued for his arrest.

Officers later found Declements swimming out into Puget Sound toward some boats. The officers borrowed a motorboat, chased after Declements and arrested him.

Declements also had a credit card and vehicle title that did not belong to him in his possession.