PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Authorities have identified a man they considered “armed and dangerous” and took into custody on Thursday.
Forty-two-year-old Jamie Lee Cochran was taken into custody on Sept. 15, Oregon State Police said on Friday; authorities also released a timeline of events that led to the alert.
On Sept. 11, Cochran allegedly robbed a daycare in Salt Lake City, Utah, before driving a stolen van through the daycare’s fence. The stolen van was later found in Elko, Nevada, police said.
Authorities say that on Sept. 13, it is believed that Cochran proceeded to steal a quad that he later drove to commit a home invasion robbery. He also allegedly stole an orange 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck from the residence.
Deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada tried to stop the vehicle on the morning of Sept. 14, but Cochran allegedly attempted to escape from the deputies. The deputies notified state authorities that the chase for Cochran was heading toward Oregon.
Then, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Troopers responded on Highway 140 toward Nevada. A deputy and state trooper found the vehicle on Highway 140, east of Adel. Cochran allegedly drove off road and onto private farm fields to escape from deputies and troopers, who eventually lost sight of the stolen vehicle.
More troopers were called into the area for backup on the pursuit of Cochran, authorities said, including an airplane and helicopter from the Oregon State Police, an airplane and helicopter from the California Highway Patrol and a helicopter from Nevada’s Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Over 50 officers from several jurisdictions helped with the ground search. At this point, they were unable to locate the orange Dakota or Cochran.
Around 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 15, Cochran was taken into custody in the Fremont National Forest in the Warner Mountains east of Lakeview, authorities said, after being apprehended by an Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Sergeant, a U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer and a Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement Ranger.
The stolen pickup was located in the McDowell Creek area, just west of Plush, authorities said, with Cochran being found 6 miles away from the truck. He was allegedly armed with a stolen handgun during the arrest.
Cochran is now in the Lake County Jail on outstanding warrants from Elko, Nevada. Further charges of Elude-Felony, Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle and Theft 1 (possession of stolen firearm) are pending. No further information will be released.