Utah man jailed after chase, manhunt near Redmond Airport

A Utah man who sped through a stop sign near the Redmond Airport Tuesday night eluded a pursuing deputy and left his car in a nearby parking lot, prompting a manhunt that led to his arrest, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Around 7:40 p.m., a deputy tried to stop the driver of a dark green Chevy Corvett for running a stop sign at high speed at the intersection of Southesat Veterans Way and 10th Street, Sgt. Troy Gotchy said.

The deputy began a short pursuit but was unable to keep up with the car, driven by Eric J. Halloran, 47, of Park City, Utah, Gotchy said.

The Corvette last was seen on Lake Road, speeding toward Highway 126, he added.

A short time later, a Redmond police officer spotted the unoccupied car in a parking lot on Veterans Way, near the airport.

A search perimter was established, Gotchy said, and a Redmond Police K-9 team began a track, heading toward the northwest. Another K-9 team, from the sheriff’s office, soon joined the search in the area of 10th Street and Highway 126.

Around 8:44 p.m., a citizen told an Oregon State Police trooper he’d seen a man run across Highway 126 near Ninth Street, heading north, Gotchy said.

The search perimeter was quickly adjusted, he said, and Halloran was found near Southeast Ninth Street and Evergreen Street and taken into custody without further incident.

Halloran was taken to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend and remained held Wednesday morning on $20,000 bail, facing two counts of attempting to elude police in a vehicle and a reckless driving charge.