Bend man jailed after Jefferson County pursuit of stolen Knife River pickup ends at Warm Springs
Spike strips flatten two front tires; DUII-drugs driver arrested after brief chase on foot
WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A pickup truck stolen from Knife River in Deschutes County Monday morning was spotted in Madras by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy. Deputies followed it until Warm Springs tribal police flattened both front tires with spike strips and the alleged drugged driver, a Bend man, was arrested after a short foot chase.
The Jefferson County deputy passed the pickup on Highway 26 West near Cherry Lane shortly before 10 a.m. – about a half-hour after a Knife River worker reported it stolen and it was last seen heading north on Highway 97 at Deschutes Junction, Sheriff Marc Heckathorn said.
Once the truck was confirmed stolen from its license plate, the deputy requested other units to help before trying to stop it. Heckathorn said he coordinated with Warm Springs Tribal Police and asked they send officers to the Deschutes River Bridge, in case the driver continued north onto the reservation.
The deputy followed the truck, without emergency lights, at normal highway speeds for several miles the sheriff said. But the driver, later identified as a 33-year-old Bend man, sped off, passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone.
At that point, the deputy turned on his lights and siren and pursued the driver who failed to yield.
Warm Springs officers tagged at the bridge over the Deschutes and successfully deployed the spike strips as the truck crossed the bridge, causing both front tires to slowly deflate.
The driver continued for about a mile and a half, then pulled over – into the oncoming traffic lane – got out and ran, Heckathorn said. The driver stopped and surrendered after a brief chase on foot and was taken into custody without further incident.
The driver was taken to and lodged in the Jefferson County Jail on charges of DUII-drugs (methamphetamine), reckless driving, reckless endangering and attempting to elude police in a vehicle and on foot.
“Thankfully,” Heckathorn said, “no one was injured and the only damaged property were two flat tires.”
