On March 25 at about 1:30 p.m., the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received information a vehicle stolen from a business in Portland was in the area of London Road. The suspect had also burglarized the business. The company that owned the vehicle, a Scion xB SUV, was tracking it in real-time by GPS.
A deputy soon located the vehicle north of Cottage Grove and attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled in the vehicle. Since GPS was tracking the vehicle, the deputy stopped pursuing but followed the track being relayed to him as it entered Cottage Grove.
The vehicle then crashed into another vehicle in Cottage Grove at N. 9th Street and W. Woodson Place. When the deputy arrived on scene seconds later, witnesses directed him in the direction the suspect ran. He was quickly arrested.
The driver, Austin Taylor Williams, 28, of Portland, was arrested and lodged at the Lane County Jail for:
– Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle
– Attempt to Elude Police Officer by Vehicle
– Attempt to Elude Police Officer by Foot
– Failure to Perform Duties of a Driver – Property Damage
– Four Multnomah County Circuit Court warrants for probation violations
Thanks to Cottage Grove Police Department and the bystanders in Cottage Grove for assisting the deputy in this case.
