Staff Reports
Police in Clackamas County say a burglary suspect led deputies on a reckless high-speed chase and crashed an SUV after reaching about 90 mph. The suspect, identified by deputies from security footage, was found with stolen items and now faces a long list of charges. The short version: someone stole from a garage, then tried to outrun cops, and now neighbors are left asking why this keeps happening.
The chase and the crash
Deputies reviewed security camera footage and later identified the man they believe stole items from a home garage. A deputy spotted the suspect driving a white Ford Explorer and tried to pull him over. Instead of stopping, the driver refused and sped away. Deputies say the SUV hit roughly 90 miles per hour before it slammed into another occupied vehicle and rolled into a parked car. The suspect was badly hurt and taken to a nearby hospital. Officers found stolen property inside the SUV after the crash.
Charges, outstanding warrants, and a familiar pattern
The suspect is now facing many criminal counts, including burglary, theft, attempting to elude police, reckless driving, DUII, identity theft, and more. Investigators also uncovered outstanding warrants from both Oregon and Washington for an assortment of charges from failure to appear to robbery and malicious mischief. That long list of alleged offenses reads like a checklist of what can go wrong when repeat offenders stay on the street.
What this reveals about public safety
This case is a blunt reminder that soft-on-crime policies have real consequences for ordinary people. When someone with multiple warrants can still be out driving, allegedly committing theft and endangering others at 90 mph, neighborhoods pay the price. Citizens want safe streets. They want law enforcement to be able to do its job. They don’t want to be told to be patient while repeat offenders rack up new victims.
Common-sense fixes: accountability and protection
We need tougher enforcement and smarter coordination between jurisdictions so outstanding warrants stop becoming a paper trail that leads to more crime. That means holding repeat offenders to account, backing prosecutors and deputies who pursue justice, and making DUI penalties and attempted-elude laws meaningful. Protecting homeowners and drivers is not extreme; it’s common sense. If we care about safe communities, we must stop normalizing chaos and start demanding results from the system meant to keep us safe.
