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Fugitive won�t give in, his mother says If he does surface, she�s afraid he�ll get hurt; police say that�s unlikely if he cooperates By Joanna Collins The mother of a man who eluded Medford police after a car chase Tuesday says that her son refuses to turn himself in and that she is frightened for his safety. Debbie Wells of Medford said she spoke Thursday by phone with her son, Derrick Atterberry. She said her son is a drug addict who needs treatment and shouldn�t have been let out of jail last month. "They are painting out this picture like he�s a really bad guy, but he�s not," said Wells. She said her son wouldn�t tell her where he is hiding out, but did say he�s suffering a bad case of poison oak after escaping through the woods above Jacksonville. Atterberry, 20, is wanted by Medford police after leading three police units in a chase to Jacksonville four days ago. In Jacksonville, Atterberry jumped from his car and raced into the woods. A two-hour manhunt ensued, but authorities were unable to find the man. Atterberry is wanted on a felony warrant for violating probation, as well as eluding a police officer and other charges relating to the chase. Wells said she�s attempted to call local law enforcement authorities to tell them her son has a drug problem, not a violent or criminal nature. She worries what will happen when police find him. "If he does pop up again, my concern is that he will be hurt," Wells said. Police say they don�t consider Atterberry a major public threat. "He�s not public enemy No. 1, and we don�t have a search crew out there scouring up and down for him," said Medford Lt. Tim George. "We�re doing what we normally do and just chasing leads. "He�s one of about 300 people we have warrants for." George said he was confident police will arrest Atterberry soon. Both George and Chief Eric Mellgren said the possibility of an injury during an arrest is highly unlikely, as long as Atterberry is cooperative. "If a subject walks into a police department and turns himself in, he doesn�t have to worry about anything," said George. "He could�ve avoided all this by just stopping (his car)." Atterberry has theft and burglary convictions on his record, according to court records. On July 29 he was arrested for possession of methamphetamine. He was released from jail two days later due to overcrowding, Wells said. He later failed to appear for his court date. "He should not have been let out of jail," Wells said. Wells said that her son has a drug problem that authorities should take more seriously. He was previously in a drug treatment program and needs to be back in treatment, she said, not on the streets. "I�m not saying he�s not guilty," his mother said. But, she added, "it could be anybody�s kid." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA