Wrong-way driver faces prison sentence

An Oak Harbor man who allegedly drove the wrong way on the highway while high on methamphetamine was wanted on a $25,000 arrest warrant.

Prosecutors charged Shane E. Larsen, 47, in Island County Superior Court Jan. 23 with possession of meth with intent to deliver, driving under the influence, reckless driving and driving while license suspended or revoked.

If convicted of the charges, Larsen could face as much as 10 years in prison under the standard sentencing range.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday that Larsen was in Yakima jail.

Just after midnight on Jan. 6, a driver report that a “wrong way vehicle” was traveling on Highway 20 north of Oak Harbor; the car was southbound in the northbound lane.

A citizen followed the vehicle in a car with hazard lights on and a dash camera videotaping the dangerous driving.

A trooper with the state patrol caught up with the vehicle after the driver, identified as Larsen, pulled over near Sleeper Road.

The trooper arrested Larsen after he failed field sobriety tests, according to the trooper’s report.

The trooper searched Larsen’s car and found a substance suspected of being meth, glass pipes, hypodermic needles, a digital scale, a lock pick set, jewelry and a sex toy, the report states.

Court records show that Larsen has a history of drug-related crimes.

In 2014, he was arrested after police found meth in his pocket and stolen children’s Christmas presents in his car, according to court records.