Crash, Crime, Hillside

Deputies search for suspected driver of stolen vehicle near Shearer Hill Road

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office near Hillside. Photo: Washington County Sheriff’s Office

HILLSIDE – According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the suspected driver of a Dodge Challenger stolen out of Forest Grove is on the run in the NW Shearer Hill Road area south of Highway 6 after smashing through three fences this morning while fleeing deputies.

According to Washington County Sheriff’s Office detective Robert Rookhuyzen, a sheriff’s deputy ran the plates of a Dodge Challenger in Forest Grove near David Hill and Thatcher Roads around 4 a.m. Monday morning.

Noting that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Forest Grove this morning, the deputy began following the vehicle while awaiting backup, and ended up driving to NW Shearer Hill Road before a second sheriff’s office vehicle could join them.

“As soon as deputies turned the lights on, the driver fled,” said detective Rookhuyzen.

Smashing through three fences in the area, the driver ditched the vehicle on foot.

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From there, the Sheriff’s Office is not sure where the driver, described as a Pacific Islander in his late teens, went. According to Rookhuyzen, he may have ended up getting a ride from someone else on the highway. If spotted, deputies have asked that residents call 911.

Meanwhile, another vehicle that had apparently been following the first stolen vehicle was stopped and deputies arrested three minors, one who had an outstanding warrant for their arrest, and the others in connection to the stolen Dodge Challenger.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.

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