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38 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, March 6, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 21, 2005 Law-enforcement officials check out a ditch along Savage Creek Road for evidence after a suspect apparently threatened officers and was shot Sunday. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Attempt to elude leads to shooting Man reportedly threatening officers with a log skidder near Rogue River is wounded By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — A Josephine County sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a man early Sunday after he allegedly fired a shotgun at officers and then tried to run them down with a hijacked Caterpillar log skidder on a rural Jackson County road. The man apparently remained in critical condition Sunday night at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, officials said. Another man was in custody in connection with the incident. Identities of the men and the deputy who fired were not released Sunday as the Jackson County interagency major crime team launched an investigation. More information was expected to be released today by Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell, Oregon State Police spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings said in a statement. According to early accounts, the incident began when Josephine County Sheriff’s deputies tried to stop the two men at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday for an unknown violation as they drove toward Rogue River from Grants Pass on Rogue River Highway. Advertisement The men, who were driving an older model gray Bronco, attempted to elude the deputies, according to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters. The men turned south onto Savage Creek Road on the border between Jackson and Josephine counties and began firing a shotgun at the deputies. Shots struck two Josephine County vehicles; no deputies were injured, Hastings said. The Bronco crashed into a guardrail or gate in the 1900 block of Savage Creek Road, officials said. Both men attempted to flee; the driver was apprehended. He is being held on outstanding warrants, Hastings said. The passenger fled on foot and successfully eluded searchers for about five hours. As local deputies and Oregon State Police officers were looking for the man, he apparently commandeered heavy machinery from a nearby logging site. "That’s when my officers said they heard the skidder fire up," Winters said. The man drove the skidder — a huge machine fitted with a large, curved blade — over an embankment, taking out trees and striking a Jackson County Sheriff’s Department cruiser. No deputies were in the car at the time, Winters said. The man proceeded to drive about 2 miles east, apparently toward officers, until a Josephine County deputy fired on him near the 900 block of Savage Creek Road. The man did not fire when he was inside the log skidder, Winters said. The man was taken by Mercy Flights helicopter to the Medford hospital. The commotion roused neighbors from their beds all along Savage Creek Road as officers from six agencies responded to the incident. "He rode that digger or whatever it was clear down to just below us," said Fern Noah, 80, adding the early-morning incident was alarming. "We’re usually so quiet up here," she said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s