Local News

A Josephine County man was jailed on a local felony warrant and he may be facing additional charges after he led a multi-agency pursuit in the North Valley area.

The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and the Oregon State Police arrested 25-year-old Griffan Ian Lucas in a field next to Interstate 5 in the Hugo area on Monday afternoon.

Deputies said the incident started with a Monday morning call from a property owner in the 600-block of Oxyoke Road who reported that someone broke into his minivan. A short time later, a caller reported their surveillance camera caught a male subject trying to break into their house and another caller reported that multiple cigarette lighters had been stolen off their back porch in recent weeks.

An investigation led deputies to a property in the 700-block of Mossy Oak Drive where Lucas bolted out the back door when they tried to enter the residence. The suspect ran down Mossy Oak to El Conejo and toward I-5 where he was believed to be hunkered down in the brush. The Sheriff's Office brought in a K-9 officer and the Oregon State Police deployed a drone to search for the suspect from the air.

After an extensive search of the area, Lucas was located and he struggled with law enforcement as they placed him into custody. Further investigation led police to the suspect's home where he had hidden numerous stolen items including cell phones, Ipads and more in a tree house. The items were seized as evidence in the case.

Lucas had several cuts from eluding law enforcement, so he was checked out by medics before being lodged in jail on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and for Escape. He is likely facing additional charges from the residential and vehicle burglaries.