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M/CLOUDY Temp: 64 °F Wind: NW at 12 mph Monday, June 23, 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 17, 2003 Burglary prompts strange chase Local police pursue two men by car and on foot, and almost encounter a cougar By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Two Wolf Creek men accused of burglarizing a Medford motorcycle store early Monday led police on a car and foot chase that even crossed paths with a cougar before finally ending in Grants Pass. The chase began at 3:30 a.m. and involved police from four agencies before the driver, 26-year-old Rudy Lange, was arrested at a Grants Pass residence about 10 a.m., according to the Medford Police Department. The passenger, 19-year-old Timothy Allen Darrow, was arrested at about 4:30 a.m. in the Merlin area west of Grants Pass following a foot chase and a brief struggle with police, Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said. The case began when a burglary alarm at Medford Kawasaki drew officers to the business at 2835 Crater Lake Highway, where officers saw two men attempting to steal dirt bikes from the store’s fenced compound, police said. Advertisement When the burglars spied police, they fled and led police on a foot chase through two fenced compounds and a tire storage yard before they reached their parked pickup, Moran said. Police then pursued the pickup across Highway 62 and north on I-5, with speeds topping out at about 70 mph, Moran said. The Oregon State Police joined the chase, laying spike strips across the freeway at milepost 49 west of Rogue River and again at milepost 57 in Grants Pass, with the second set of spikes finally stopping the vehicle near the Merlin exit, police said. Both men fled on foot again, with Darrow being captured but Lange escaping, Moran said. Lange apparently knocked on the doors of several rural residences, eventually gaining a ride into Grants Pass, Moran said. Information about that ride led Grants Pass police right to Lange, who was captured as he tried to flee the house, Moran said. Because of the low speeds, lack of other drivers and light police presence in Josephine County, Medford police "remained in the hunt" longer than in other pursuits that cross county lines, Moran said. In a strange encounter during the pursuit, Medford police officers Mike Strouse and Shawn Vollrath saw two glowing eyes in the woods near the Interstate 5 exit at Merlin, Moran said. When they walked closer, they discovered the eyes belonged to a cougar, which immediately fled, Moran said. Lange was lodged Monday at the Jackson County Jail on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, attempted first-degree theft, first-degree criminal trespass, attempting to elude police on foot, attempting to elude police in a vehicle and for being a felon in possession of a firearm, jail officials said. He was being held Monday night in lieu of $45,000 bail. The firearm charge stems from a rifle found in the 1971 pickup used in the chase, Moran said. Darrow was lodged on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, attempted first-degree theft, second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit first- degree theft. He was being held Monday in lieu of $56,000 bail, jail officials 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