Prineville police pursuit leads to crash, DUII arrest

A complaint of an apparent drunk driver driving in the oncoming lane southeast of Prineville Friday night led to a chase, the deployment of spike strips, a crash west of town and the arrest of a 30-year-old Prineville man on DUII and other charges, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

County 911 dispatch got a complaint just after 10:30 p.m. of a possible drunk driver on SE Juniper Canyon Road, heading toward Prineville, said Sgt. James Savage. A Ford Bronco was reported driving in the oncoming lane.

A Prineville police officer spotted the car coming into town and tried to stop it, but the driver, later identified as Jason Scott Kightlinger, refused to stop and tried to elude the officer, Savage said.

Sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Police assisted in the “slow-speed pursuit through several city streets,” Savage said in a news release, adding that traffic was light and the roads were clear.

Kightlinger avoided hitting spike strips several times before eventually heading west out of Prineville on the O’Neil Highway, the sergeant said.

OSP troopers were able to successfully deploy spike stripes near Elliot Lane. The driver continued at slow speeds for a couple more miles before crashing into a ditch off the west side of O’Neil Highway, Savage said.

Kightlinger was taken into custody, then brought St. Charles Family Care for treatment of minor injuries. After that, he was lodged at the Crook County Jail on charges of DUII, attempting to elude police, reckless driving and two counts of second-degree criminal mischief. He remained jailed Saturday morning on $25,000 bail.