Manhunt update: Grant County gunman arrested

A Seneca-area man who was the subject of an intensive day-long manhunt in Grant County was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon, ending a tense period of highway and school closures, Sheriff Glenn Palmer said.

Shane Sanders will be lodged in the Grant County Jail on several charges, including menacing and unlawful use of a weapon

A Central Oregon OSP SWAT team was sent early Wednesday to help deputies search for the 41-year-old man who allegedly fired shots in the area.

U.S. Highway 395 was closed for several hours in both directions at locations north and south of Seneca, but OSP reported it had reopened Monday afternoon and all area road closures were lifted.

“Law enforcement personnel will remain in the area, but officials believe there is no public safety threat at this time,” said Grant County Undersheriff Todd McKinley.

Around 2 a.m., deputies and OSP troopers responded to a report of shots fired in Seneca. After police arrived in the area, they heard more shots fired, McKinley said.

Sanders “was seen fleeing in the darkness and is the subject of an extensive area search,” the undersheriff said, adding that “there are no known persons injured.”

The Blue Mountain Eagle reported residents of Seneca, a town of about 200 on the highway between John Day and Burns, were being warned to stay in their homes.

Central Oregon residents said they heard and saw numerous officers heading to the scene overnight.

Grant County School District 3 notified parents that Seneca School would be closed Wednesday due to the police activity, the newspaper reported.

At the Bear Valley Store, clerk Pamela Franci told The Associated Press the school and post office were closed, and traffic was blocked on both ends of town.