A Lynwood man pleaded not guilty to charges of motor vehicle theft, assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle in his court arraignment on Nov. 22 at the Jefferson County Superior Court. The charges allege that Oscar Hernandez-Buenrostro, 22, stole a Chevrolet pickup truck from the Seven Cedars Casino parking lot on Nov. 17. When pursued by Sheriff’s deputy Justin Coronado, Hernandez-Buenrostro reportedly sped away, starting a police chase that lasted more than an hour and covered a total of 40 miles in East Jefferson County, from 7 Cedars to Highway 104, to Highway 19 and into to Port Townsend. While three deputies chased Hernandez-Buenrostro at full speed with sirens on, another vehicle reportedly driven by Hernandez-Buenrostro’s accomplices tried to intervene. “Speeds varied reaching over 118 miles per hour at times on Highway 104,” wrote sergeant Brandon Przygocki in the probable cause statement. “The truck forced cars off of the roadway, passed in unsafe manners and in no-passing zones.” When Coronado attempted to pin the vehicle in at the intersection of Highway 104 and Highway 19, Hernandez-Buenrostro “reversed rapidly, intentionally ramming into the front end of Deputy Coronado’s patrol vehicle, causing damage,” Przygocki wrote. Deputies lost sight of the vehicle in Port Townsend, but found it again, abandoned, near the Rainier Street roundabout. With use of Washington State Patrol’s K-9 unit, they located Hernandez-Buenrostro in the brush near the vehicle. He had the keys to the stolen vehicle in his possession, according to Przygocki. Records show that Hernanez-Buenrostro is a convicted felon, most recently for taking a motor vehicle without permission and theft in the first degree. He also had several warrants for his arrest, according to police records. He has been charged with six counts: theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, assault in the second degree, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possession of another’s identification, and making or possessing motor vehicle theft tools. Bail was set at $100,000, but Hernandez-Buenrostro’s attorney, Scott Charleton, argued during his arraignment on Nov. 22 it should be lowered. “He acknowledges his criminal history,” Charleton said. “We are asking for $10,000. It’s still a lot of money, but would make posting bail possible.” Commissioner Eileen Baratuci was filling in for Superior Court Judge Keith Harper and reduced bail to $50,000.