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SUNNY Temp: 70 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, June 27, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 24, 2003 String of chases raises concerns By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A drunken driver whom police chased down Interstate 5 Sunday before he crashed on a Medford off-ramp is the latest in a string of chases that officers say test their judgment on whether such pursuits are worth the risk. Police said Donnel Ray Taylor had more than three times the legal threshold of alcohol in his system when he led police on a 10-mile chase on southbound Interstate 5 about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Taylor’s 1991 Chevrolet Corsica reached speeds of 90 mph at times, passed other drivers on the shoulder and even careened toward a police car to avoid spike strips laid by Oregon State Police troopers to halt the chase, OSP LT. Dan Durbin said. The ordeal ended when Taylor’s car careened off the guardrails and crashed on the milepost 30 off-ramp at Crater Lake Highway, slightly injuring Taylor but no one else, police said. Advertisement It was the 10th pursuit that local OSP troopers have had in the past two weeks, triggering a meeting among agencies to critique how the pursuits unfolded and officer response to them, OSP Lt. Dan Durbin said Monday. "We’ve been having multiple pursuits and a lot of them are drug or alcohol involved," Durbin said. "When (drivers) attempt to elude, they’re risking property damage and potential injuries and it’s a felony. It doesn’t make any sense." When faced with a driver who ignores flashing lights and sirens, officers must decide whether chasing the fleeing vehicle is worth the risks that high-speed pursuits bring to the drivers, pedestrians and officers. In general, police will pursue a vehicle if there is a felony involved, as was the case June 15 when Medford police chased burglars from a Medford motorcycle shop all the way to Merlin, Medford police Lt. Tim George said. Other cases are much like Sunday night’s chase, when police tried to curb a severely drunken driver before he hurt himself or others, George said. "It depends upon the actors and the action," George said. "I think DUII drivers are extremely dangerous. They’re weapons on the road." The goal, Durbin said, is to avoid a repeat of the May 31 case in which a fleeing, reportedly suicidal driver struck and injured a bystander on Highway 99 near Rogue River. Durbin said that in Sunday’s chase, police received calls from a family member and a Grants Pass gas station attendant that Taylor could be driving drunk toward Medford on I-5. Troopers first intercepted him at Milepost 40, and troopers backed off Taylor’s tail while Central Point police laid spiked strips across the road at milepost 35, Durbin said. Taylor swerved around the strips, which are meant to deflate the speeding car’s tires, and his Corsica drove toward a Central Point officer who escaped unhurt, Durbin said. Medford police laid similar strips just south of the north Medford exit as well as on the off-ramp, but Taylor’s car avoided them all before crashing, George said. "Controlled pursuits" and tools such as spiked strips help police avoid risky chases, and police supervisors are encouraged to call off pursuits any time they judge the risk to out-weigh the capture, George said. "But you can’t flat-out tell the criminal world that we won’t pursue them," George said. Taylor, whose blood-alcohol level was measured at .247 percent, suffered minor injuries in the crash and was treated at Providence Medford Medical Center, police said. He was held overnight for observation, and police on Monday planned to arrest Taylor when he was discharged, Durbin said. Taylor faces charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, attempted first-degree assault, reckless driving, driving while revoked, attempted elude, and second-degree criminal mischief, police said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times