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Three suspects are in custody this morning after a high-speed chase on Interstate 5 Tuesday afternoon near Myrtle Creek, a Myrtle Creek police officer said this morning.
Police are continuing to look for the driver of the vehicle.
At about 12:45 p.m., Sgt. Kris Malek noticed the driver of a Ford Ranger allegedly committing minor traffic violations on Meadowlark Avenue in Myrtle Creek. He turned on his lights to stop the vehicle, and it didn't stop, he said in a phone interview.
“The chase was on,” Malek said.
The pickup, which had two occupants in it, headed south on Pacific Highway through Tri City, traveling between 85 and 95 miles per hour, Malek said.
The driver then got on Interstate 5 southbound at Exit 103, where a Douglas County Sheriff's Office patrol deputy joined the pursuit.
The pickup driver then got off at the Gazley Road exit and drove south through Surprise Valley at speeds of between 60 and 90 miles per hour, Malek said.
The driver then re-entered Interstate 5 at Exit 99, headed north, allegedly traveling at speeds between 90 and 102 miles per hour. The suspect drove past spike strips placed at Milepost 103 and then took the Boomer Hill exit, north of Myrtle Creek.
The pickup continued on logging roads until the driver lost control and hit a tree, Malek said. The driver and passenger then “ bailed out of the car and took off running through the brush.”
Oregon State Police troopers arrived on the scene to help with the pursuit, Malek said. Within about an hour, police heard someone calling for help.
Although they anticipated the suspect was hurt, he actually told police he was “lonely, scared and cold and he no longer wanted to run,” Malek said.
The suspect, Robert Ashton, 24, address unknown, was wanted on a warrant issued by the Douglas County Parole and Probation Department and was taken to the Douglas County Jail. Ashton told police he had been the passenger in the pickup.
Officers at the scene also arrested two other suspects who were in the logging road area in vehicles, Malek said. The two suspects — Michelle Weeks, a transient living in the Roseburg area, and Raymond Burns, address unknown — were arrested on suspicion of interfering with a crime scene, Malek said. They allegedly had heard the incident on a police scanner, knew the suspects and were in the area in a vehicle trying to keep the suspects abreast of where police were, Malek said.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
Police are continuing to look for the driver of the vehicle.
At about 12:45 p.m., Sgt. Kris Malek noticed the driver of a Ford Ranger allegedly committing minor traffic violations on Meadowlark Avenue in Myrtle Creek. He turned on his lights to stop the vehicle, and it didn't stop, he said in a phone interview.
“The chase was on,” Malek said.
The pickup, which had two occupants in it, headed south on Pacific Highway through Tri City, traveling between 85 and 95 miles per hour, Malek said.
The driver then got on Interstate 5 southbound at Exit 103, where a Douglas County Sheriff's Office patrol deputy joined the pursuit.
The pickup driver then got off at the Gazley Road exit and drove south through Surprise Valley at speeds of between 60 and 90 miles per hour, Malek said.
The driver then re-entered Interstate 5 at Exit 99, headed north, allegedly traveling at speeds between 90 and 102 miles per hour. The suspect drove past spike strips placed at Milepost 103 and then took the Boomer Hill exit, north of Myrtle Creek.
The pickup continued on logging roads until the driver lost control and hit a tree, Malek said. The driver and passenger then “ bailed out of the car and took off running through the brush.”
Oregon State Police troopers arrived on the scene to help with the pursuit, Malek said. Within about an hour, police heard someone calling for help.
Although they anticipated the suspect was hurt, he actually told police he was “lonely, scared and cold and he no longer wanted to run,” Malek said.
The suspect, Robert Ashton, 24, address unknown, was wanted on a warrant issued by the Douglas County Parole and Probation Department and was taken to the Douglas County Jail. Ashton told police he had been the passenger in the pickup.
Officers at the scene also arrested two other suspects who were in the logging road area in vehicles, Malek said. The two suspects — Michelle Weeks, a transient living in the Roseburg area, and Raymond Burns, address unknown — were arrested on suspicion of interfering with a crime scene, Malek said. They allegedly had heard the incident on a police scanner, knew the suspects and were in the area in a vehicle trying to keep the suspects abreast of where police were, Malek said.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
