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Sheriff's Deputy Pete Wood talks on a radio while blocking traffic at the intersection of Cleveland Hill Road and Cleveland Loop Drive Saturday afternoon. Police were searching for a suspect who led them to the area on a high-speed chase and then reportedly ran into the woods.
MELROSE — A driver led police on a high-speed chase through rural roads northwest of Roseburg this morning and then ran into a wooded neighborhood off of Cleveland Loop Drive, north of the Melrose Country Store.
As of Saturday evening, police had not found the driver, but Sheriff John Hanlin said police suspected the man may be connected to a similar incident that took place Tuesday near Myrtle Creek.
A rifle was found in the trunk of the Nissan Altima the suspect eventually abandoned, Hanlin said. Police had information that the suspect might be carrying a handgun, so the Sheriff's Office Tactical Response Team responded to the scene. Additionally, Oregon State Police troopers and Sutherlin police responded, for a total of about 10 or 12 officers from various agencies.
The officers encircled the area into which the driver fled. They then swept the area “to see if there's a place he could be hiding,” Hanlin said.
By 2 p.m., officers were still planning to check a few vacant buildings in the area to make sure the suspect had not broken into them. Then they planned to patrol nearby areas.
“I suspect (the driver's) probably found a way out before we were able to fully contain the area,” Hanlin said.
During the hunt for the driver, officers also contacted residents in the area “and let them know they're looking for somebody in a stolen car,” he said.
Police are advising residents in the area “to lock their homes and all their outbuildings and vehicles and if they see something suspicious to report it to the Sheriff's Office,” Hanlin said. They may call 440-4471 or 911.
The driver was last seen wearing a white hat, jeans and a light-colored shirt.
Saturday's chase began about 10:30 a.m., when a Winston police officer noticed a Nissan Altima that had been reported as stolen near the intersection of Highway 42 and Brockway Road, Hanlin said.
The officer tried to stop the vehicle but the driver sped off down Abraham Avenue and then onto Lookingglass Road. A Douglas County Sheriff's deputy vehicle also attempted to join the chase, but had a minor collision with a private vehicle at Highway 42 and Abraham, Hanlin said. The officer wasn't hurt. The female driver of the other vehicle appeared uninjured, but was taken to Mercy Medical Center to be evaluated, he added.
According to police scanner reports, the Nissan Altima then accelerated at speeds of up to 90 mph along Colonial Road, which curves through farmland and vineyards.
The car then traveled along Melrose Road at speeds of about 70 mph, Hanlin said. The driver turned north onto Melqua Road and then onto Cleveland Hill Road. From there, the car turned onto Cleveland Loop Drive. In the 800 block, the driver lost control and the car went off the road, Hanlin said. By about 11 a.m., the driver allegedly jumped out of the car and fled on foot into the brush.
Police do not know for sure who the suspect is, but “suspect he may be one of a couple people,” Hanlin said. Police also suspect the driver may be connected to a Tuesday incident in which the driver of a Ford Ranger led police on a high-speed chase along Interstate 5 and rural roads near Myrtle Creek.
In that chase, the driver and a passenger ran on foot through woods off Boomer Hill Road. Robert Charles Ashton, 24, was arrested at the scene. Police arrested the driver, Hiram Samuel Cunningham, 26, during a traffic stop Friday night in Canyonville, Hanlin said. He was lodged at the Douglas County Jail this morning.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel
at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
As of Saturday evening, police had not found the driver, but Sheriff John Hanlin said police suspected the man may be connected to a similar incident that took place Tuesday near Myrtle Creek.
A rifle was found in the trunk of the Nissan Altima the suspect eventually abandoned, Hanlin said. Police had information that the suspect might be carrying a handgun, so the Sheriff's Office Tactical Response Team responded to the scene. Additionally, Oregon State Police troopers and Sutherlin police responded, for a total of about 10 or 12 officers from various agencies.
The officers encircled the area into which the driver fled. They then swept the area “to see if there's a place he could be hiding,” Hanlin said.
By 2 p.m., officers were still planning to check a few vacant buildings in the area to make sure the suspect had not broken into them. Then they planned to patrol nearby areas.
“I suspect (the driver's) probably found a way out before we were able to fully contain the area,” Hanlin said.
During the hunt for the driver, officers also contacted residents in the area “and let them know they're looking for somebody in a stolen car,” he said.
Police are advising residents in the area “to lock their homes and all their outbuildings and vehicles and if they see something suspicious to report it to the Sheriff's Office,” Hanlin said. They may call 440-4471 or 911.
The driver was last seen wearing a white hat, jeans and a light-colored shirt.
Saturday's chase began about 10:30 a.m., when a Winston police officer noticed a Nissan Altima that had been reported as stolen near the intersection of Highway 42 and Brockway Road, Hanlin said.
The officer tried to stop the vehicle but the driver sped off down Abraham Avenue and then onto Lookingglass Road. A Douglas County Sheriff's deputy vehicle also attempted to join the chase, but had a minor collision with a private vehicle at Highway 42 and Abraham, Hanlin said. The officer wasn't hurt. The female driver of the other vehicle appeared uninjured, but was taken to Mercy Medical Center to be evaluated, he added.
According to police scanner reports, the Nissan Altima then accelerated at speeds of up to 90 mph along Colonial Road, which curves through farmland and vineyards.
The car then traveled along Melrose Road at speeds of about 70 mph, Hanlin said. The driver turned north onto Melqua Road and then onto Cleveland Hill Road. From there, the car turned onto Cleveland Loop Drive. In the 800 block, the driver lost control and the car went off the road, Hanlin said. By about 11 a.m., the driver allegedly jumped out of the car and fled on foot into the brush.
Police do not know for sure who the suspect is, but “suspect he may be one of a couple people,” Hanlin said. Police also suspect the driver may be connected to a Tuesday incident in which the driver of a Ford Ranger led police on a high-speed chase along Interstate 5 and rural roads near Myrtle Creek.
In that chase, the driver and a passenger ran on foot through woods off Boomer Hill Road. Robert Charles Ashton, 24, was arrested at the scene. Police arrested the driver, Hiram Samuel Cunningham, 26, during a traffic stop Friday night in Canyonville, Hanlin said. He was lodged at the Douglas County Jail this morning.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel
at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
