Update: Madras fugitive captured after police chase on Interstate 84

A 33-year-old Madras fugitive who eluded capture after a two-county high-speed chase last week was arrested Sunday on Interstate 84 east of The Dalles after yet another police pursuit that ended with the help of “spike strips,” Oregon State Police reported.

Police had been advised to be on the lookout for Malcolm Scott Harpole.

OSP Trooper Mark Jubitz said a sergeant spotted the pickup heading west around 10 a.m. and advised that one of the occupants (the driver) was wanted on a felony warrant.

The pickup was found speeding at milepost 123 and was followed for nine miles, when an attempt to stop was made. Jubitz said Harpole instead sped up and refused to pull over.

Spike strips were deployed at milepost 112 and struck the left-side tires, and about a mile later, the pickup stopped in the middle of the road.

Harpole was booked into the NORCOR regional jail facility in The Dalles on a probation violation, as well as attempting to elude police in a vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, misdemeanor driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Lt. Ken Mannix of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team said Harpole faces a long list of felony charges in connection with the two Central Oregon pursuits, the latest last Wednesday evening in which he allegedly nearly hit a detective’s unmarked car.

Also arrested and jailed was his passenger, William Ray Worthington, 29, also from Central Oregon, on methamphetamine possession charges, authorities said.

After he hit “spike strips” officers put on a road northeast of Redmond, he got out and ran, eluding capture, police had said Thursday, seeking the public’s assistance in finding him.

Detectives assigned to the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team developed information Wednesday that Harpole, who has an outstanding fugitive arrest warrant out of Deschutes County, was driving a 1998 Ford F-250 pickup in Redmond, Mannix said.

He was spotted around 7:30 p.m. last Wednesday, heading north on Highway 97 north of Redmond, Mannix said.

Surveillance teams monitored his travel north into Jefferson County, and, when he stopped at the intersection of Southwest Culver Highway and Norris Lane, they used “high-risk protocols” (guns drawn) in an attempt to surround the pickup and take him into custody.

While that was taking place, Mannix said, Harpole sped up and drove off the road and up an embankment, nearly striking a detective’s unmarked vehicle. He then headed east on Norris Lane, eventually turning south on Forest Service roads.

Unconfirmed police scanner reports indicated police believed he reached 120 mph at one point.

Harpole then headed south on Lone Pine Road and, as he reached the intersection with Smith Rock Way, police successfully deployed spike strips in attempt to disable the pickup.

But he kept traveling with two flat tires at speeds of 45-55 mph, eventually coming to a stop near the intersection of Northeast 45 th Street and Walnut Road, then ran from the pickup.

An extensive search of the area was conducted by officers from several agencies, including a Redmond police tracking dog and air support from Jefferson County Search and Rescue Team, but was unsuccessful, Mannix said.

Detectives later executed a search warrant on the pickup and learned it had been stolen out of Lane County last year; the motorcycle in the bed of the pickup was stolen this year in Redmond, Mannix said.

Mannix said at the time that Harpole faces charges including attempt to elude, reckless driving, reckless endangering, attempted assault on a public safety officer and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Other agencies involved in the investigation included the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division, the Deschutes and Jefferson county sheriff’s offices, Oregon State Police and Redmond and Madras police departments, Mannix said.