Redmond car theft, Hwy. 97 hit-and-run lead to arrest

A 22-year-old transient who stole a car from a northeast Redmond driveway Wednesday morning was involved in a hit-and-run crash on Highway 97 in Jefferson County and eventually arrested in a guns-drawn traffic stop south of Madras, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

A Redmond woman contacted police shortly before 9 a.m. to report her Mitsubishi Galant – unlocked, with the keys inside – had been stolen from her driveway in the 5100 block of Northeast Fifth Street, said sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey.

An “attempt to locate” report was quickly sent out to all Central Oregon police agencies, as well as Oregon State Police, Bailey said.

Shortly after 9 a.m., Jefferson County dispatch got a report of a hit-and-run crash on Highway 97 at milepost 106. A car matching the stolen car’s description reportedly was involved and sped away northbound on the highway, Bailey said.

The other vehicle stayed at the scene and a female occupant was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Redmond for treatment of minor injuries.

A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy and Madras police officer spotted the stolen car on Highway 97 south of Madras. A “high-risk” traffic stop was conducted and the driver, alone in the car, was taken into custody without further incident, Bailey said.

The suspect, Jacob Richard Landers, was taken to St. Charles Madras for evaluation of a pre-existing injury, then taken to the Deschutes County Jail. Bailey said he faces charges of first-degree burglary, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, first- and second-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief.

While deputies investigated and collected evidence at the Redmond location where the car was stolen, assisted by Redmond police, they learned a separate, unoccupied residence on the property had been burglarized, Bailey said, adding that evidence there was linked to Landers.

Landers also faces charges in Jefferson County of DUII-drugs, felony hit and run and reckless driving, Bailey said.