Three arrested after Prineville police chase, crash

Three Prineville residents were arrested late Wednesday night after a driver refused to pull over for a traffic stop of a car with switched license plates, police said. A pursuit led to spike-strip deployment and ended in a crash through a fence and an officer hitting the car with his to keep it from leaving.

Around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, a Prineville officer spotted a silver 2000 Saturn heading north on Main Street, with Oregon license plates belonging to a 1993 Mercury Topaz, Sgt. James Peterson said. Believing it might be stolen (it turned out to have switched license plates, a violation), a second officer was called to assist in a traffic stop.

But the driver, later identified as Michael Shrauger, 28, of Prineville, didn’t pull over and tried to elude officers through the Northridge neighborhood, heading south toward Prineville, Peterson said.

A third Prineville officer set up spike strips near Peters Road and Main Street, and the deployment successfully deflated both of the Saturn’s driver-side tires, the sergeant said.

Shrauger continued through town on Main Street to Lynn Boulevard at speeds of about 40 mph, then headed east on Lynn Boulevard to Combs Flat Road, then turned south on that road and east on Lincoln Road, according to Peterson.

Shrauger drove through a closed gate at a home in the 1700 block of Southeast Lincoln Road, causing an estimated $350 damage to a fence, the officer said.

Shrauger tried to leave after crashing through the fence, but the Prineville officer drove his patrol car into the left front of the Saturn to prevent it from leaving, Peterson said.

Shrauger was arrested and booked into the Crook County Jail on nine charges, including a parole violation for which he was held without bail.

He also faces a felony charge of attempting to elude police, reckless driving, second-degree criminal mischief, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, felon in possession of a restricted weapon and citations for driving with a suspended license and without insurance.

One passenger, Benjamin Ehmer, 21, also was arrested for a parole violation, while a second, Gloria Peters, 64, was cited and released on a misdemeanor charge of methamphetamine possession, Peterson said.

Anyone with additional information about the case can contact the Prineville police at 541-447-4168, the case agent, Officer Rob Gray, or leave a message on the department’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PrinevillePD.

Court records show Shrauger has an extensive criminal history. He made the news in early 2015 when he faced an arrest warrant in a Prineville carjacking and later was arrested by Redmond police on several unrelated charges, including trespass, meth and heroin possession, manufacture and delivery, ID theft, giving false information to police and two out-of-county warrants. Police said he gave a false name when arrested.