Sisters man arrested after Redmond Hwy. 126 DUII pursuit

A van driven by an alleged drunk driver from Sisters nearly hit a patrol car head-on on Highway 126 west of Redmond Tuesday afternoon, sparking a pursuit. It ended when he stopped and got out, but refused to follow the commands of officers who then forced him to the ground to arrest him.

An off-duty Redmond police sergeant was heading west in a marked patrol car around 4:15 p.m. on Highway 126 near milepost 106, about four miles west of Redmond, when an oncoming Ford van driven by Scott Leachman, 64, crossed the center line and nearly struck the patrol car, said Sgt. Curtis Chambers.

The sergeant, who had to take evasive action to avoid a crash, turned around and tried to stop the van, but the driver did not pull over and kept heading east at highway speeds, not topping 60 mph, Chambers said.

Two Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies already were n the area, responding to citizen reports the van driver might be impaired and was unable to maintain his lane of travel. The deputies and an Oregon State Police fish and wildlife trooper joined in the pursuit.

More Redmond officers responded to the area of Southwest Highland Avenue and 31 st Street, blocking traffic on Highland as “spike strips were deployed near the intersection, Chambers said. Meanwhile, other officers set up at key intersections on Highland at 27 th Street and Rimrock Way to control traffic and keep other drivers safe, he said.

The van driver eventually stopped on his own, before reaching the spike strips, stopping next to several other vehicles that had stopped while the highway was blocked.

Leachman, who was alone in the van, initially followed police commands to get out, but “became non-compliant and verbally challenged officers” as he stood outside the van, Chambers said in a news release.

Officers then approached Leachman and “put him on the ground and placed him in custody,” the sergeant said. No Taser was used, Chambers told NewsChannel 21; instead, “officers used their hands (physical control) to put him on the ground.”

Leachman was injured during the arrest, and “in combination with extreme intoxication,” officers called Redmond Fire and Rescue medics to the scene, Chambers said. They took Leachman to St. Charles Redmond for treatment, before he was deemed medically stable to be lodged in the Deschutes County Jail.

No one else was injured in the incident, the sergeant added.

Redmond police were granted a search warrant to seize blood from Leachman, Chambers said, adding that the blood test results are not yet known.

Leachman remained in the Bend jail Wednesday, held on $50,000 bail and facing charges including felony DUII, felony driving with a suspended license, felony attempt to elude a police officer, reckless driving, interfering with a peace officer and second-degree attempted assault.

“In this incident, choosing to continue the pursuit was deemed appropriate and justified due speeds traveled and the (light) amount of traffic on the road, in addition to the belief the driver may be impaired and was driving poorly prior to the start of the pursuit,” Chambers said in the news release.

“Discontinuing this pursuit would have allowed a suspected impaired driver to continue driving and put everyone at risk,” he added. “We are very appreciative of everyone’s understanding why the highway was blocked and apologize for the inconvenience caused by Leachman’s actions.”