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--> --> `Cowboy Mike' arrested near Snake River By CHUCK OXLEY Associated Press Writer VALE - "Cowboy Mike," a wandering ladies' man suspected in the disappearance of four women and the wounding of another, was captured Friday after a shootout and a desperate attempt to swim to freedom in the swift and murky Snake River. Michael John Braae, 41, led officers on 13-mile gun battle and chase before police shot out a tire on his pickup. He stopped on a bridge and leaped 40 feet into the water. He swam and floated 21/2 miles downstream until a deputy sent in a dog on a long leash, and Braae surrendered. Braae had last been seen late last week, in a bar in Yakima, Wash., with 50-year-old Marchelle Morgan, authorities said. On Sunday, she was found shot in the head in the bushes by the side of a road. She was in critical condition Friday. Braae, who wears Western hats and boots, is also suspected in the disappearance or death of four other women in Washington and Oregon since 1997. All had been seen talking with him, authorities said. "He's known as a womanizer, known to pick up women in taverns," Yakima County Sheriff's Lt. Dan Garcia said. "He's not from anywhere; he's from here and there." The chase began after Braae was spotted at a truck stop along Interstate 84 in Idaho. Officers put spikes on the road, but Braae got past them. No one was hurt in the shootout. When the police dog was sent into the river, Braae tried to drown it, but it bit his clothing, Malheur County Sheriff Andrew Bentz said. With the dog holding on to Braae's clothing, authorities used the animal's leash to pull both of them to a boat. Malheur County Sheriff's Detective Rich Harriman, who was in the jet boat that retrieved him, said Braae was exhausted by that time and put up no more resistance. "He hollered, `My name isn't Cowboy,' but that's the only thing he said," Harriman said. Malheur County District Attorney Daniel O. Norris said Braae would be held for a Monday court appearance on charges of eluding officers, criminal mischief and interfering with a police animal. Meanwhile, Norris said his office was processing a warrant from Washington's Yakima County on a charge of first-degree attempted murder for the shooting of Morgan. Morgan was found shot in the head in the bushes by the side of a rural road on Sunday. She remained in critical condition Friday in Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. Yakima County Sheriff's Lt. Dan Garcia said Morgan was in a coma and was believed to have suffered some brain damage. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing