Document text
By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune October 07. 2014 12:17PM Police make an arrest in weekend hit-and-run George Vincent Prauss WHITE CITY — A White City man is in the Jackson County Jail for allegedly hitting another man with his truck while intoxicated and abandoning him on Highway 62 last weekend. George Vincent Prauss, 34, is held on charges of felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving and reckless endangerment. His bail is set at $21,000, jail records show. Prauss was arraigned in Jackson County Circuit Court at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, court records show. The man he struck, 41-year-old Christopher Joseph Thompson, remains at Oregon Health & Science University in serious condition, according to hospital officials. He was listed in critical condition on Monday. Oregon State Police reported Thompson was walking in the northbound bike lane on Highway 62 at around 3 a.m. Saturday when he was struck near milepost 7, near the White City Goodwill store. Emergency responders found him lying in the right-turn lane in front of the store. Mercy Flights transported him to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, and he was then taken to OHSU. Police said evidence at the scene indicates the vehicle involved had sustained damage to a headlight and turn-signal assembly during the accident. They put the word out to media outlets and asked the public to keep an eye out for such a vehicle. On Monday, OSP received a tip that a truck with some front-end damage was parked at F.V. Martin Trucking, 2325 Merry Lane, White City. The vehicle, a black 1997 Dodge Ram pickup, had recent damage to the right front turn signal, right front bumper and passenger-side mirror. Police identified Prauss as the owner and arrested him after contacting him at work. Additional charges could be added later. Court records show Prauss does not have any felony convictions in Jackson County. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141007/NEWS/141009744 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->