Douglas Co. transient suspect in abduction of 10-year-old Lane Co. girl
By KVAL.com StaffEUGENE, Ore. -- More than a stolen car was at stake in a high speed chase over country roads at speeds approaching 60 mph Tuesday evening: the passenger was a 10-year-old girl, abducted from the streets of a Eugene-area neighborhood as she road her bicycle. Witnesses said the girl had been forced into a small 4-door sedan on River Loop #1, a road in the Santa Clara area of Eugene and unincorporated Lane County. The vehicle description and license plate matched that of a stolen vehicle neighbors spotted an hour earlier and reported to the sheriff's office as suspicious. As deputies mounted a search and called other law enforcement agencies for assistance, Deputy Scot Denham spotted the car in question near Clear Lake Road and Territorial Highway, west of Fern Ridge Reservoir. Deputy Denham gave chase when the vehicle failed to stop. The chase continued along county roads in the Elmira area for 20 minutes at speeds between 40 and 60 mph while other law enforcement units rushed to the area. Using special equipment, sheriff’s deputies were able to deflate at least one of the tires on the suspect vehicle at the intersection of Knight Road and Sheffler Road.
Then Eugene Police K-9 officer Robert Rosales used his police vehicle to force the suspect's car off the road. The driver was quickly apprehended and the girl removed to safety. All told, less than an hour passed between the abduction and her rescue. Both the victim and suspect were transported to area hospitals for evaluation. The sheriff is withholding the name of the victim at this time.
Lane County Sheriff Russ Burger has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. at the Sheriff’s Office, 125 E. 8th Av. in Eugene, to release additional information on this incident. |
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