Lengthy chase ends in arrest

PRIEST RIVER — A Bonner County man was arrested after allegedly leading law enforcement on a circuitous high-speed chase in which he rammed a sheriff’s deputy’s vehicle and swerved at an Idaho State Police trooper on Wednesday.

Tulio Leon Naccarato is charged with felony eluding, two counts of aggravated assault on a law officer and driving without privileges.

Trooper Jonathan Cushman attempted conduct a traffic stop on the Dodge Stratus Naccarato was driving on East River Road because of overly tinted windows, according to a police affidavit. Naccarato declined to yield, touching off a pursuit that led north through Coolin to the dead end of Sherwood Beach Road, back through Coolin and onto Highway 57. Naccarato was finally forced to a stop in Priest River, the affidavit said.

During the hour-long chase, Naccarato allegedly drove 80 mph in a 35 mph zone, evaded several pursuit intervention techniques and struck Deputy Aaron Walker’s patrol vehicle and nearly hit Cushman’s patrol rig in doing so, the affidavit alleges.

Naccarato, 38, was wanted on two outstanding warrants in Washington state and a Bonner County warrant for failing to appear in court on a felony drug possession charge.

Naccarato made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Friday via videoconferencing with the Bonner County Jail. Judge Tera Harden ordered him held without bond on the Washington warrants, set bail at $50,000 in the possession case and $100,000 in the eluding case, court records show.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.