Crime Stoppers: Fugitive escapes capture north of Bend

Central Oregon drug agents sought the public’s help Wednesday in finding a 35-year-old fugitive who ran from a car they had tried to stop on Bend’s north end Monday night. The driver of the car was arrested, and the wanted man’s young child, riding in the car, was placed in state custody.

Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives tried to contact and arrest Ryan Nathaniel Fischer Salt, who has an outstanding fugitive arrest warrant, around 9:30 p.m. Monday as he left a home in the area of Hunnel Road near Tumalo Road, said Lt. Ken Mannix.

Fischer Salt was riding in a 1993 Cadillac DeVille driven by Benjamin Richardson, 25, of Redmond, who drove off at high speed as detectives tried to contact the car’s occupants, Mannix said.

Due to the reckless manner in which Richardson was driving, police did not engage in a vehicle pursuit, the lieutenant said. Richardson drove about a mile, then pulled over and let out Fischer Salt, who ran away, the officer said.

As Richardson was being taken into custody, detectives learned Fischer Salt’s 3-year-old child was sitting in the back seat, not secured by a child safety seat or seat belt, Mannix said.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Bend police assisted in an extensive area search that failed to find Fischer Salt, Mannix said. The state Department of Human Services (Child Welfare) was brought in and took custody of the child.

Richardson was booked into the county jail on charges of reckless driving and reckless endangering, as well as a probation violation. He was released Tuesday as formal charges had not yet been filed, according to a jail officer.

Along with a fugitive arrest warrant, Fischer Salt is sought on new charges of reckless endangering, obstructing government administration and eluding (misdemeanor).

With an active investigation underway the CODE Team asked anyone with information on the case of Fischer Salt to call Deschutes County dispatch at 541-693-6911.

You can also call the Crime-Stoppers Tip Line at 1-877-876-TIPS or use the form on the KTVZ.COM Crime Stoppers page. You can remain anonymous and you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Fischer Salt has an extensive criminal record, Mannix said. He made headlines in August 2013, when he was arrested on charges of kicking in the door of the sheriff’s office shooting range, vandalizing it and stealing 26 bulletproof vests.

He also was arrested in 2010 after running from deputies in Redmond who had tried to stop a car with expired registration tags. Police said he parked at a home, went inside, then ran from an alley. A Redmond police dog helped find him hiding inside a nearby utility trailer. He was arrested on DUI, felon in possession of a firearm and other charges.