Eugene man held in Sisters DUII hit-and-run crash

(Update: Adding victim’s name)

A Eugene man spotted by an Oregon State Police trooper driving recklessly near Santiam Pass Monday afternoon ran from a serious-injury hit-and-run DUII crash in Sisters but was caught minutes later, hiding behind a church, officials said.

Around 3:40 p.m., an OSP trooper reported a reckless driver east of the pass on Highway 20, heading east.

The trooper was unable to catch up and stop the driver, later identified as Brandon Troy Harris, 31, but another trooper spotted him a short time later as Harris approached Sisters and engaged in a short pursuit, which was terminated for safety reasons.

Harris’s abandoned car soon was found in Sisters after a head-on crash in the area of Highway 20 and McKinney Butte Road, troopers said. The other driver, Dawn R. Cooper, 48, of Sisters, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

Harris had run from the crash scene, prompting numerous law enforcement to head toward Sisters to help search for him. But he was caught about 20 minutes later, hiding behind the Westside Sisters Church, Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey said.

Harris was booked into the county jail in Bend and held without bail on a parole violation charge. He faces new charges including third-degree assault, DUII, felon in possession of a firearm, hit-and-run, attempt to elude police, reckless driving and reckless endangering.

Harris was arraigned Tuesday on the initial charges and is due back in court in a week for arraignment on an expected indictment, court records show.