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Ex-con accused of ramming police car Friday Oct 7, 2016 at 4:58 PM Oct 7, 2016 at 4:58 PM By Troy Shinn Grants Pass Daily Courier A motorist accused of injuring two deputies during a ramming incident last Tuesday in the Cave Junction area has a history of fleeing police — violently. Mitchell Wayne Thornton, 29, of Cave Junction is being held without bail on a probation detainer after a prosecutor called him a "threat to society" during a court appearance Wednesday in Josephine County Circuit Court. Tuesday's incident, which resulted in minor injuries to two deputies, was the fourth time in four years Thornton tried to elude police, and the second in three weeks. Authorities said Thornton has been out of prison only a few weeks after serving an 18-month sentence for throwing a tire iron at deputies during a wild, high-speed car chase in March 2015. On Tuesday, police responded to a call about suspicious subjects in a vehicle parked outside a property on East River Street and Redwood Highway, according to a press release sent out by the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. At first, the officers could not identify the driver, who was wearing a fake beard but was later identified as Thornton. Thornton then took off in his car, running over one officer's foot. After a high-speed pursuit, Thornton attempted to hide his car from police in a wooded area before the officers caught up to him. As the officers stepped out of their vehicle to apprehend him, Thornton slammed his car into the side of the patrol car. Both officers managed to get back in the car before impact. Thornton then fled on foot shortly before being arrested, near Glendon Road and Hathaway Road between Cave Junction and Kerby. Police found a meth pipe in the center console of his car. One deputy, a reserve officer, suffered an injury to his foot after it was run over by Thornton's vehicle, according to Sheriff Dave Daniel. The other deputy suffered a knee strain and has been assigned to light duty. Thornton was arraigned Wednesday on more than a dozen charges, including attempting to elude, reckless driving and attempted first-degree assault. Meanwhile, the District Attorney's Office is investigating Thornton's involvement with another police pursuit Sept. 20 in which the fleeing car rolled several times before the driver took off on foot. Deputies believe Thornton was the driver in that incident, as well. Thornton's preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. at the Josephine County Circuit Courthouse. Thornton's criminal record dates to 2008 and includes a conviction for attempting to elude in 2012, after he jumped out of his moving vehicle and ran from deputies. His record also includes convictions for possession of methamphetamine, fourth-degree assault, resisting arrest, car theft and no fewer than nine convictions for driving with a suspended license.