Alaska man held in Bend car theft, Redmond chase, Madras crash
A Ketchikan, Alaska man wanted for allegedly stealing an Olive Garden worker’s car in Bend Friday evening led police on a high-speed pursuit Saturday in Redmond and later crashed into a pickup in Madras, then ran but was caught and arrested, authorities said.
Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies and Madras police were notified shortly before noon Saturday of a 1999 Honda Accord stolen in Bend and last seen heading north through Redmond at a high rate of speed, Madras police Sgt. Mel Brown said in a news release issued Monday.
Bend police Lt. Clint Burleigh said the car was reported stolen from the Olive Garden parking lot on N. Highway 97 in Bend around 5:30 p.m. Friday and the keys reportedly had been left in it.
The stolen car, allegedly driven by John Wesley Logston, 37, was spotted entering the Madras area, but due to the car’s speed and the time of day, officers decided not to initiate a pursuit, Brown said.
Minutes later, shortly after noon, the Honda crashed into a Nissan pickup occupied by two adults and a child on Highway 97 near Fairgrounds Road, Brown said. Logston ran from the scene but was captured minutes later by Madras police and Jefferson county deputies.
The two adults in the pickup were taken to St. Charles Madras for treatment of minor injuries; the child was uninjured, the sergeant said.
Logston also was taken to the hospital and issued citations on charges including unauthorized use of a vehicle, failure to perform the duties of a driver, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving, Brown said. After his release from the hospital, Logston was taken to the Jefferson County Jail and held without bail on a probation hold out of Deschutes County.
Other charges related to the injury crash in Madras were pending more medical information, Brown said, and will be forwarded to the Jefferson County district attorney for review and disposition.
