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Central Point man gets six months for DUII incident By JILL BRISKEY A drunken Central Point man who almost ran down a Medford police officer with his car was sentenced to six months in jail Tuesday. Justin Warren Workman, 20, of 4384 Hamrick Road, pleaded guilty to a variety of charges stemming from the August incident. According to Medford police Lt. Mike Moran, officers responded to a report of a fight near Riverside Avenue and Ninth Street at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 11. Moran said Workman and another man became embroiled in a fight sparked when two women began kissing each other. Apparently, one man made a comment regarding the women's kiss, enraging Workman, Moran said. Officers never found out what the man said to anger Workman, who responded by punching a window in a nearby vehicle, he added. Moran said police officer Willivan Rojas tried to talk to Workman, who quickly jumped into a vehicle. Rojas motioned to Workman and repeatedly told him to get out of the car. "(Rojas) kept yelling and the driver kept shaking his head," Moran said. Workman finally blasted forward in the car, and Rojas dodged out of the way. Moran said the vehicle missed Rojas by two feet. He wasn't injured. Police quickly chased after Workman. Moran said officer Richard Renfro spotted the vehicle within minutes. Workman was driving in the wrong direction along Main Street and Moran said he ignored Renfro, who continued the pursuit. Workman jumped out of the still-moving vehicle at the corner of Sixth and Holly streets and Renfro chased him, Moran said. The two struggled briefly before Workman was subdued. Police charged Workman with attempted first-degree assault, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving, attempting to elude police on foot and in a vehicle and driving under the influence of intoxicants. He was lodged in jail on more than $1 million bail. Moran said Workman's blood alcohol level was 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit. The Jackson County District Attorney's Office dropped the attempted first-degree assault charge and attempting to elude police on foot in a plea bargain. Deputy District Attorney Michael Thornicroft said officials were unable to prove that Workman deliberately attempted to assault Rojas with the vehicle, which was why the charge was dropped. Thornicroft said it was a case of, "either you're going to get hurt or you're going to get out of the way. It really was a case of recklessly endangering another." In addition to six months in jail with credit for time served, Workman was sentenced to two years' supervised probation. His license was suspended for nine months and he was ordered to pay a court fee of $65. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.