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Police capture robbery suspect By JILL BRISKEY GOLD HILL - A convicted Central Point rapist who absconded from parole in February and eluded police during an intensive search Tuesday night was captured Wednesday after his parents tipped authorities. According to Jackson County Sheriff's Sgt. Terry Larson, Leighton Wayne Bates, 40, is accused of kidnapping and robbing an acquaintance at gunpoint Tuesday in Gold Hill. He was arrested at 8:10 a.m. without incident when sheriff's deputies spotted him walking along Old Stage Road. Police learned of Bates' whereabouts from his parents, Larson said. The couple reportedly called 911 when their son tried to enter their home Wednesday morning. Larson said Bates reportedly approached a male acquaintance at a gas station on Highway 99 at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Bates allegedly displayed a small-caliber, semi-automatic handgun and forced the victim to drive to a remote location on Kane Creek Road. After ordering the man to empty his pockets, Bates apparently stole several items, fired the weapon once into the ground and drove away in the victim's pickup. The victim, who wasn't injured, walked several miles before he was able to contact police. Bates - a convicted sex offender - has been a fugitive since Feb. 27, when a warrant charging him with parole violation was issued in Jackson County. Larson said deputies got an anonymous tip at around 7 p.m. Tuesday that Bates was driving the stolen truck on Old Stage Road. An officer found Bates at Glen Echo Way, a cross-street of Old Stage Road, a short time later. "(Bates) dumped the car and ran off into the woods," Larson said. Officers from Central Point and Oregon State Police helped sheriff's deputies search for Bates. A Medford police canine unit was brought in along with the Metro Air One helicopter, Larson said. "We were trying to keep a perimeter around that area," Larson said of the 5- to 10-square-mile radius in which Bates was believed to be hiding . The search was called off at about 11 p.m. Police believe Bates discovered an open shed and spent Tuesday night sleeping in a boat, Larson said. Bates was lodged in the Jackson County Jail without bail on of kidnapping, robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle and parole violations. Bates was released from the Oregon State Penitentiary May 1, 2000, after serving time on first-degree burglary and second-degree escape charges. Bates has earlier convictions for first-degree rape and attempted rape. He is considered to be dangerous to women. During the search, deputies escorted several neighbors who were concerned for their safety to their homes, Larson said. "We wanted to get him pretty bad last night," Larson said. "He had the weapon and he had fired it before. He was considered a danger." The gun hasn't been found, Larson said. "Some of the officers did get poison oak during the search," he added. "The hills are full of it." 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.