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Cave Junction man who rammed police cars gets 5 years Friday Nov 18, 2016 at 3:15 PM Nov 18, 2016 at 3:16 PM By Troy Shinn Grants Pass Daily Courier A Cave Junction man described by prosecutors as "a threat to society" was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison for two violent vehicle-ramming incidents involving police. Mitchell Wayne Thornton, 29, has a litany of crimes on his record dating to 2006 and has tried to flee police at least four times in four years, including one memorable incident in which he flung a tire iron at his pursuers before escaping into the woods near the California border. Thornton was recently involved in two vehicle-ramming incidents that stemmed from high-speed chases with police. The second resulted in minor injuries to Josephine County sheriff's deputies. The first chase happened on Sept. 20. It began with a complaint of a suspicious person idling in a Ford Bronco on the side of Shadywood Drive, outside of Cave Junction. When deputies arrived, the driver sped off on Dick George Road. Deputies chased him for about a mile before the Bronco collided with a patrol unit on a sharp curve and rolled several times. The driver fled on foot and police were unable to pursue him into the woods. Deputies allege that it was Thornton. The second ramming was on Oct. 4 and started similarly, with a call about a suspicious person, this time on Glendon Road in the Kerby area.  At first, deputies could not identify the driver, who was wearing a fake beard but was later identified as Thornton. Thornton rammed into the patrol car and ran over the foot of one of the deputies, causing injury to both deputies. He then led deputies on a high-speed chase before exiting his car and attempting to flee on foot. He was apprehended after being brought down by a Taser. Deputies also found a meth pipe in the center console of Thornton's vehicle. Both deputies were treated for minor injuries after the arrest. At his arraignment, a prosecutor called Thornton a "threat to society," noting the defendant had just finished a short prison sentence for another high-speed eluding incident in March 2015. During that chase, Thornton flung a tire iron out his window at police as he tried to flee across the California border. He crashed, then eluded police by fleeing on foot and turned himself in a few days later. For his latest escapades, Thornton pleaded guilty to charges that included attempting to elude, unlawful use of a weapon and attempted first-degree assault. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison, or five years, and will be placed on three years of post-prison supervision after serving his sentence. He also was ordered to pay fines, fees and restitution totaling $800.