Eluding suspect pleads guilty

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man who rammed a Sandpoint Police vehicle during a high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods and a city park is pleading guilty.

Heath Anthony Lowe entered into a plea agreement with the state during a pretrial conference on Oct. 9, court records show.

Under the agreement, Lowe entered Alford pleas to felony eluding and a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge. Under such a plea, a defendant maintains his innocence, but concedes a conviction could be obtained if the matter went to trial.

In exchange for the pleas, additional charges of battery on a law officer, drug possession and resisting arrest were dismissed.

Lowe, 44, is accused of speeding away from a traffic stop in the early-morning hours of July 8. Speeds reached has high as 70 miles per hour through 25 mph zones and Lowe briefly lost control of his pickup while tearing through Hickory Street Park.

Lowe allegedly struck a patrol vehicle while exiting the park and the chase ended when his rig broke down on North Lincoln Avenue.

The felony eluding charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and the DUI charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail.

The pretrial settlement agreement recommends concurrent sentences. The state will adopt the recommendations in a presentence investigation, but won’t exceed a recommendation of retained jurisdiction. When jurisdiction is retain, a defendant serves up to a year in prison before becoming eligible for probation.

Lowe is also being ordered to pay $2,460 to the city for the damages sustained by the patrol vehicle.

Lowe is scheduled to be sentenced in 1st District Court on Jan. 3, 2013.