Arrest warrant issued for NASCAR driver Tyler Walker (2nd Update)
"It's a big difference, and I feel a lot better, and I'm in a lot better place," Walker said. "I just want to thank everybody who helped me out … and also apologize to … everybody who was on the road. And just let everybody know I'm doing everything I can to … be healthy so this never happens again."
Walker, 35, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., was arrested Jan. 30, 2013, after a Nevada Highway Patrol officer clocked the race car driver at 150 mph and Walker fled from pursuing officers instead of stopping. He reportedly drove around tire-puncturing strips as he was northbound into the mouth of the Virgin River Gorge and drove over tire-puncturing strips at the Utah state line.
Walker pleaded guilty to two third-degree felonies and three misdemeanors under terms of the agreement with prosecutors. The felonies – failure to stop for an officer and possession or use of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) – each carry the possibility of up to five years in prison. The misdemeanors include impaired driving and possession of drug paraphernalia, which each could result to up to six months in jail, and open container of alcohol in vehicle, which carries a potential sentence of 90 days in jail.
Judge Eric Ludlow scheduled sentencing for Feb. 23. Walker's attorney, Trevor Terry, said Walker has undergone extensive counseling and drug therapy since his arrest, and Walker said he has been working with a neurologist because of the lingering effects of brain injury that he has experienced. The Spectrum
12/03/14
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| Arrest photos of Walker and his girlfriend. Reports are he has become a drug addict. |
Tuesday, 5th District Judge Eric Ludlow issued an arrest warrant for former NASCAR driver Timothy Tyler Andrew Walker after Walker failed to mail in his plea agreement or appear in court in lieu of the agreement. Walker was originally arrested after leading police on a high speed chase in January 2013. Defense attorney Trevor Terry told Ludlow that Walker had mailed in his plea agreement but accidentally mailed in the wrong agreement. Terry said he was expecting the correct plea agreement to arrive Tuesday afternoon, but Ludlow's patience was short.
This is the 13th time a resolution to this case has been stalled, and Walker has failed to mail in his plea multiple times. This led to a quick decision by Ludlow to issue a warrant for Walker's arrest. "The court has been more than patient. The court has been more than fair," Ludlow said. "I'm issuing a $25,000 cash-only warrant. I said that if (the plea agreement) was not here today, this morning, right now, that he would have to be here. I won't accept an agreement anymore." St. George News
10/30/14 After 10 delays to resolve the most serious charges against him stemming from a three-state police chase that reached speeds as high as 150-mph, will the 11th time finally be the charm for former NASCAR and World of Outlaws racer Tyler Walker?
Walker, his attorney and prosecutors have tried 10 different times to hammer out a plea deal on a number of charges stemming from a police chase in January 2013 that began in Nevada, crossed into Arizona and ultimately ended in Utah.
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| Walker before he got hooked up with Raelle Hahn McDonald. |
The chase was befitting of a NASCAR race in a sense, as Walker’s BMW was reportedly caught on radar of reaching 150 mph at one point.
Walker, of Hermosa Beach, California, was originally charged with three felonies and five misdemeanors for the Utah part of the chase alone, where the pursuit finally ended on the outskirts of the town of St. George.
According to the St. George (Utah) Spectrum, the 35-year-old Walker – whose legal name is Timothy Tyler Andrew Walker – was slated to enter a plea by mail to Utah officials by Tuesday.
But on Sept. 30, according to the Spectrum report, prosecutors asked to delay entry of the plea agreement because they had learned Walker may have been arrested again in California.
However, Deputy County Attorney Rachelle Shumway told the newspaper that she has been unable to get information from police in California about the alleged new charges against Walker.
As a result, Shumway’s office asked for another delay in the plea agreement so that it can be amended and given to Walker. Terms of the agreement, which have not been disclosed, have reportedly been approved by both prosecutors and Walker’s defense team.
If there are no further delays, Walker will reportedly sign the plea agreement, according to defense attorney Trevor Terry, with resolution of the case finally set for Nov. 18.
Walker’s passenger during the chase, Raelle Hahn McDonald, has already been sentenced to probation. Upon searching the Walker’s vehicle, officers reportedly found open containers of vodka, as well as methamphetamine and marijuana, according to initial reports.
Walker reportedly is undergoing treatment for substance abuse in California, according to the Spectrum.
When arrested, Walker and McDonald — who police reports said were both under the influence — reportedly told officers they did not pull over because they believed pursuing officers were actually providing them a police escort to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In January, as part of the charges against him in Arizona, he was convicted of endangerment and sentenced to one year of supervised probation but no jail time. It’s unclear what the disposition of charges against Walker has been in Nevada.
NASCAR suspended Walker indefinitely in 2007 for violations of the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy. He has never been reinstated.
Walker would then go on to race in other series, particularly in the WoO. NBC MotorsportsTalk