Fugitive who fled Bend traffic stop caught in Madras
(Update: Fugitive captured in Madras)
A 27-year-old Bend man who fled an early-morning traffic stop on Christmas Day, prompting an alert to the public, was caught Thursday in Madras by Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies.
Freddy Ayala was booked into the Jefferson County Jail, where he was held without bail on a parole violation, records showed.
A deputy pulled over the gray 2016 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Ayala shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday at Third Street and O.B. Riley Road for failing to stop at a stop sign Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp said. He then allegedly gave the deputy a false ID.
During the stop, the deputy was able to identify the driver after searching databases and learned he had a suspended driver’s license. The deputy again contacted Ayala at the driver’s window and tried to arrest him, but he sped away, heading north on O.B. Riley Road, the sergeant said, ad.
Deputies and Bend police pursued the pickup for several blocks but discontinued the chase “in the interest of public safety,” Vander Kamp said. He noted that Ayala’s driver’s license had been suspended following an earlier DUII conviction.
The sheriff’s office sought the public’s help in finding Ayala, who is known to frequent the Bend and Prineville areas. He was described as Hispanic, 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. His last name, Ayala, is tattooed on the back of his neck.
Earlier this year, in Jefferson County, Ayala, who court files listed as a Redmond resident, pleaded guilty to car theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was sentenced to 44 days in jail and two years probation.
In 2015, Ayala was one of 13 people arrested at the end of a year-long investigation of Redmond methamphetamine trafficking as police raided six Redmond homes and also made a traffic stop. Ayala was arrested on a probation violation detainer.
Earlier this month, a Jefferson County judge signed an order that Ayala report for treatment after release from custody. The order said he had he admitted failing to appear for drug court treatment groups and missing drug tests.
