Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies were busy stopping three attempted thefts at construction sites.
At 11:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, a Sheriff's Office deputy contracted to Happy Valley PD saw a U-Haul van pulling out of a residential construction site near SE 147th Ave and Scouter’s Mountain.
The deputy attempted to stop the van, but the suspect sped away, leading the deputy on a short vehicle pursuit. The pursuit ended when the suspect reached a dead-end at SE 145th Ct. and SE Nehalem St in Portland.
The driver ran from the vehicle on foot -- leaving a female passenger in the cab.
Deputies then deployed a Sheriff's Office K9 team to search for the suspect in the greenspace north of the neighborhood, but they were unable to locate him.
Inside the U-Haul, deputies found around $10,000 worth of stolen goods taken from a second construction site, near SE Sunnyside Rd. and SE 162nd Ave. in Happy Valley.
Deputies are currently working to identify the suspect. U-Haul has been cooperative with the investigation. The female passenger was cooperative with deputies and was released from the scene.
The contractor from the Sunnyside Rd. theft site met our deputy in our Property Room this morning, and was grateful to be reunited with his tools and the items he was installing in the house.
At 2 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, another Happy Valley deputy traveled to the construction site at SE Sunnyside Rd. and 162nd to conduct further investigation -- and stopped a second theft in progress.
When the deputy arrived at the construction site, he saw a man dressed in dark clothing opening a utility trailer at the site.
This suspect also had a companion with him: a dog, believed to be a black Griffon/Terrier mix.
The suspect fled the scene when he saw the deputy. However, the dog declined to follow.
The deputy advised dispatch that he'd just interrupted a theft and summoned additional deputies. The deputy could hear the suspect behind the house calling for the dog to follow him. However, the dog decided it was best to surrender and remained with the deputy.
When other deputies arrived, they searched the area for the suspect but were unable to find him. The dog, however, was happy to be rescued by the deputies -- and he had a hard time controlling his excitement over all the love he was getting.
The final construction-site arrest of the night happened at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 9.
A deputy was in the parking lot of the Home Depot on SE 82nd Ave. and Johnson Creek Blvd. when he observed a Ford F-150 driving slowly through the parking lot. The driver parked the Ford, turned its lights off, and sat for a few minutes. The Ford then pulled up to a fenced-off construction site, where the passenger opened the gate after cutting the lock. The suspect truck then backed into the construction area.
Other deputies discreetly responded to the area as the Ford pulled out and attempted to leave the parking lot -- now with a trailer attached.
Deputies stopped the truck and two occupants were detained. The driver claimed to have purchased the trailer last night, and the passenger stated he just worked for the driver.
However, the owner of the trailer told us he hadn't sold his trailer, nor had he given anyone permission to take it. The driver -- Jonnie Dean Clark, 52, of Gresham -- and passenger -- Paul George Caward, 35, of Portland --were booked on charges including Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle and Possession of Burglary Tools. Their booking photos are attached.
A&B Towing responded, and were kind enough to help us put the trailer (valued at $8,000) back into the construction lot from which it had been taken.
Source: Clackamas County Sheriff's Office