Highway 26, News, Timber

Two drivers arrested in separate incidents on Highway 26 in late January

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said they worked with Oregon State Police to make two arrests last week on Highway 26, one near Timber Road and the other between Banks and North Plains.

According to a press release issued Monday, Feb. 3, Oregon State Police (OSP) contacted the sheriff’s office just after midnight on Friday, Jan. 24 to tell them a white Infiniti sedan had eluded them in Tillamook County.

Just 45 minutes later, the vehicle was spotted by a Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy on Highway 26 near Timber Road, and the chase was on.

“When the driver saw the deputy, they turned the vehicle’s lights off and accelerated rapidly in another attempt to elude law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said.

Following the vehicle for seven miles to a spot near Buxton where other deputies had set up spike strips on the roadway, the chase came to an end when the driver stopped just before the spike strips.

Deputies used their patrol vehicles to block the driver’s vehicle.

Photo of the vehicle stopped on Highway 26 near Buxton. Photo courtesy Washington County Sheriff’s Office

The driver, identified by the sheriff’s office as Bieatris Saakian, 20, of Vancouver, Wa, was arrested and lodged at the Washington County Jail, where they face charges of Reckless Driving and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. Other charges may be added, the sheriff’s office said.

Three days later, a similar scene occurred on the same highway between Banks and North Plains.

OSP notified the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, Jan. 27 at 10:16 p.m. that a trooper was trying to stop a vehicle driving 108 mph on Highway 26 near NW Dersham Road.

“When the vehicle eventually exited the highway, deputies and the trooper were able to slow down and stop the car on NW Milne Road,” the sheriff’s office said.

According to the sheriff’s office, the driver, Dallas Hill, 26, of Vancouver, Wa physically resisted his arrest before being taken into custody.

Hill was arrested and taken to the Washington County Jail, where a breath sample revealed a blood alcohol content of .18, more than twice the legal limit, the sheriff’s office said. Hill faces charges of Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving, Resisting Arrest, and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants.

“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working with state and municipal law enforcement partners to keep Washington County’s roadways safe,” the county’s law enforcement agency said.

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Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.

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