A man whose flight from police led to a cell phone alert on Whidbey Island has been charged with a felony, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 40-year-old Oscar Sampedro in Island County Superior Court Sept. 29 with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.

The Oak Harbor resident is wanted on a $100,000 bench warrant out of Island County Superior Court for failing to appear at a hearing on a gun-related charge.

On Aug. 19, a deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office noticed a car with no rear license plate and an expired trip permit parked in the parking lot at the Hastie Lake boat ramp. The deputy contacted the driver and a passenger, who got out of the car because she was feeling sick.

The driver, later identified as Sampedro, allegedly gave the deputy a fake name. After checking on the name, the deputy told Sampedro that he wasn’t free to leave and told him to turn off the car until he was identified. Sampedro agreed but then put the car into reverse and fled, according to the deputy’s report.

The deputy followed with lights and sirens activated. The driver drove recklessly and at unsafe speeds, so the deputy ended the pursuit, the deputy wrote. Soon afterward, the vehicle was found and Sampedro was spotted in the area of Penn Cove Road and Riepma Lane.

The public in the area and in Oak Harbor was alerted with an emergency cell phone alert while law enforcement searched the neighborhood and beach area, but the suspect was not located.