Sweet Home police are seeking information on the whereabouts of a Lebanon man who frequently visits Sweet Home in connection to a high-speed pursuit that ended when a patrol unit crashed into a tree.
Police ask that anyone with information on the whereabouts of David Duane Phillips, 61, of Lebanon, call the Sweet Home Police Department at (541) 367-5181.
Prior to the pursuit, said Police Chief Jeff Lynn, the officer had recognized the driver of the vehicle and learned that Phillips has a felony Linn County warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of possession of a controlled substance.
At approximately 8:17 p.m. on May 10, an SHPD officer initiated a traffic stop in the 2400 block of Main Street, Lynn said. The vehicle, a green 1996 Mazda 626, came to a stop at 3137 Main St.
The officer approached the vehicle and briefly made contact with Phillips, Lynn said. Phillips then sped away from the location in the vehicle, and the officer pursued him, according to police.
Phillips’ vehicle traveled east on Highway 20 reaching speeds of 80 mph, Lynn said. At one point Phillips’ car passed another vehicle on the roadway in the center lane. Phillips turned south on Wiley Creek Road and continued at speeds ranging between 40 and 60 mph.
The chase eventually moved onto Whiskey Butte Road, Lynn said. While on Whiskey Butte, the patrol vehicle lost traction on a sharp downhill corner, causing it to leave the roadway, strike a tree and come to rest approximately 20 feet down an embankment on Whiskey Butte.
The officer received minor cuts and bruises from the collision, Lynn said. The officer was treated at the Lebanon Community Hospital.