Just before 3 a.m. on Monday, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to assist Warm Springs Police in pursuit of a truck fleeing on Highway 26.
Warm Springs PD had probable cause to arrest the driver, 43-year-old Michael Ford of Gresham, on charges of Attempt to Elude and Reckless Driving.
Oregon State Police and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office had additional probable cause to arrest Ford on Assault III and Hit and Run charges out of Deschutes County.
Warm Springs PD officers stopped pursuing Ford's truck after they reached the Government Camp area. They reported that the suspect's Ford F-150 was last seen headed west on Highway 26 at a high rate of speed.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies prepared to intercept Ford, responding to Highway 26 east of Rhododendron. They stopped eastbound traffic for the public’s safety and prepared to deploy Stop Sticks if they spotted Ford's vehicle.
Within a few minutes, the suspect was spotted, still traveling westbound on Highway 26.
Deputies successfully used Stop Sticks on the vehicle. Stop Sticks are designed to create a controlled deflation of a vehicle's tires.
Deputies then pulled behind the suspect and activated emergency lights. Ford refused to stop -- instead turning onto Road 26, a narrow gravel road that loops back to Highway 26. Ford then returned to Highway 26 and once again headed westbound.
Deputies then used a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver, which causes the vehicle to spin. By this time, the truck tires on the driver’s side were falling apart and the truck was driving on two metal wheels.
Once the truck came to a stop, deputies -- joined by sheriff's K9 Coda -- ordered Ford out of the vehicle. The suspect eventually complied, and was taken into custody without further incident.
Highway 26 was closed in both directions on the east end of Rhododendron for about 20 minutes. Oregon Department of Transportation workers were present for a large road project nearby. They helped deputies by stopping traffic in the area and then rearranging their cone patterns to allow traffic to pass once the scene was safe.
Ford was transported to the Clackamas County Jail and booked for Attempt to Elude, Reckless Driving, and Criminal Mischief II.
Michael Ford admitted to fleeing from several law enforcement agencies between Bend and Rhododendron.
Source: Clackamas County Sheriff's Office