PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Police Department on Thursday identified a man they said fled from police in a stolen van Wednesday.
Police are seeking Nicholas T. Roberts, 21.
Officer Harold Balderson, while patrolling the west side of Port Angeles, noticed a van that looked suspicious parked at Lincoln Park and tried to talk to the driver at about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to police.
That’s when the driver took off and drove possibly faster than 60 mph east on Lauridsen Boulevard, occasionally leaving the road, Balderson said.
The driver stopped near the intersection of 16th and F streets and “jumped out and ran,” Port Angeles Police Sgt. Joshua Powless said.
Onlookers in the area had observed Roberts flee the vehicle, Balderson said in a news release. A search of the area did not locate Roberts.
Officers were able to recover the van, which was stolen from Sequim.
Officers contacted the registered owner of the vehicle, who had not been aware that the vehicle had been stolen, police said.
They recovered a “large amount” of property in the vehicle that did not belong to the van’s owner and are still sorting through the property to return items to their rightful owners, Balderson said.
Roberts has several warrants for his arrest, including a Department of Corrections warrant, police said.
Anyone with information about Roberts’ whereabouts is asked to call police at 360-452-4545.
________
Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.