A Shelton man who took a safe from Olympia’s Bayview Thriftway and then fled from deputies in a stolen car has been sentenced to four years, two months in prison.

Michael W. Calder, 35, was arrested in April near Mud Bay. A Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy fired his gun at Calder after he tried to run the deputy down. No one was injured.

On Tuesday, Calder appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon, and pleaded guilty to three charges: one count of second-degree assault, one count of second-degree burglary, and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle.

Calder told the court that he had committed the crimes of burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle. However, he entered an Alford plea to the assault charge — meaning he still claimed he was innocent, but he believed a jury was likely to find him guilty.

About 3:30 a.m. April 8, a deputy noticed Calder speeding north along State Route 410 in a gray Honda Accord. At one point, Calder lost control of the vehicle but was able to recover, according to court documents. He then drove through the intersection with Highway 101 without stopping at a stop sign.

Calder eventually turned into a dead-end private driveway, and the deputy followed. When Calder stopped, the deputy blocked the driveway with his vehicle, and then began walking toward Calder, according to court documents.

Calder turned the car around and accelerated toward the deputy. The deputy then fired his gun at Calder, but didn’t hit him, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Calder was taken into custody.

Deputies learned that the car had been reported stolen from Mason County. They found several shaved keys while searching Calder, according to Calder.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Jim Powers said deputies also found a safe in the car.

Earlier that morning, a masked suspect had broken into Bayview Thriftway and stolen a safe, alcohol and cigarettes. Security footage showed a gray Honda Accord leaving the scene.

After obtaining a warrant, deputies searched the car and learned that the safe was the one stolen from the grocery store, Powers said. They also found stolen store merchandise in the car.

The assault conviction is Calder’s first strike offense, said public defender John Hansen. Calder’s criminal history dates back to 2007, and includes drug convictions, property crime convictions, and driving-related convictions, according to court documents.

Amelia Dickson: 360-754-5445, @Amelia—Oly