Suspect wielding sword, inhaling nitrous oxide near Terwilliger Hot Springs evades police

Staff
Updated ·1 min read

Update: The suspect was arrested Monday morning after being spotted by residents on the 91800 block of Mill Creek Road. He was booked into Lane County Jail and charged with eluding police and faces additional charges for outstanding warrants for kidnapping, reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a firearm.

Original article:

After responding to a report of a tall man swinging a sword around and inhaling nitrous oxide at Terwilliger Hot Springs, deputies with the Lane County Sheriff's Office say they were unable to catch the suspect and he escaped into the surrounding woods on foot.

The man, described as 6-foot-4, 175 pounds and last seen wearing a green hoodie and blue shorts, fled on foot into the woods south of the hot springs and could still be armed with the sword, according to a release from the Lane County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies first arrived at the hot springs, a set of geothermal pools near Cougar Reservoir about an hour east of Eugene, at about 11 a.m. on Saturday. The suspect was already gone but was later spotted driving back toward the hot springs, according to the release.

A deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver took off, taking gravel roads into the surrounding forest. During the pursuit, the vehicle stopped when it ran into downed trees on the roadway and the suspect left on foot.

Deputies continued to search for the man, eventually with help from police dogs and a drone, but after several hours of searching in difficult terrain, were unable to find him, according to the release.

The suspect was later identified as a 33-year-old from Crawfordsville who has several outstanding warrants out for his arrest.

Anyone who spotted a man matching the description of the suspect or who had additional information was advised to call the sheriff's office at 541-682-4250, option 1.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Wielding sword, inhaling nitrous oxide at hot springs, man evades police