PORTLAND, Ore. (koin.com) — A man was arrested after allegedly leading deputies on a ruinous chase while driving a stolen truck.
Around 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, a deputy with the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office stopped on the side of Highway 18 to check on who they thought was a disabled driver. The driver, parked in a white Ford F350 near SW Booth Bend Road in rural McMinnville, reportedly claimed he was just resting.
While conducting a standard check of the vehicle’s registration, the deputy realized that the license plates on the truck actually belonged to a Dodge Durango. As the deputy returned to ask further questions, YCSO says the driver began driving away eastbound on Highway 18.
The deputy switched on his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the man — later identified as Brandon Hawthorne — sped up in an attempt to elude him. Hawthorne then turned south on SE Wallace Road, or Highway 221, while allegedly speeding off at about 100 miles per hour.
During the car chase, authorities say the 24-year-old veered off the road and drove cross country through fields of nursery stock owned by Bailey Nurseries. Several rows of plants were destroyed, leading to over $100,000 worth of damages.
Deputies then reportedly established a perimeter to contain the suspect who then left the vehicle and started traveling on foot. YCSO says an Oregon State Police Trooper watched as he fled from the truck.
Soon, Hawthorne was found hiding in a shed and then taken into custody.
Later on, deputies discovered the pickup truck was stolen in LaGrand. The personal items that belonged to the truck’s official owner were not found on the property — but deputies did recover items stolen from a different Vancouver vehicle.
Hawthorne is being held in the Yamhill County Jail on various charges, including a felony attempt to elude, misdemeanor attempt to elude, first-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, six counts of reckless endangering of another and unlawful use of a vehicle.
Hawthorne’s bail was set at $50,000 when he was arraigned in Yamhill County Circuit Court on Oct. 10.