A South Whidbey man is accused of crashing a car into a patrol car while fleeing from deputies on Oct. 4, according to court documents.

Benjamin H. Neal, a 43-year-old Clinton resident, appeared in Island County Superior Court Oct. 6. The judge found probable cause existed to believe he committed the crimes of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and hit and run of an attended vehicle.

The judge set Neal’s bail at $7,500.

The incident began as a harassment complaint on the evening of Oct. 4. A woman who lives in an RV with her spouse at a Clinton park-and-ride lot reported that a man, later identified as Neal, unplugged their generator and then was aggressive toward her, according to a report by a deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses reported that Neal appeared intoxicated and drove off in a Subaru Outback. A deputy spotted the car and pursued it as it traveled recklessly across South Whidbey. The driver, later identified as Neal, turned without signaling, failed to stop at stop signs and drove into oncoming lanes, the report states.

During the pursuit, Neal suddenly made a U-turn on Highway 525, turned right on Deer Lake Road at a high rate of speed and struck a deputy’s car on the driver’s side, according to the report. Neal didn’t stop and sped off with another deputy following behind, the deputy wrote.

Neal continued to blow through stop signs and traveled at speeds in excess of 80 mph before the deputy terminated the pursuit, the report states.

Deputies arrested Neal the next day at his workplace.