Authorities Jailed 2 Suspects for Attempting to Elude Deputy in City of Medford
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Medford Police Department arrested two suspects after they attempted to elude a deputy during a traffic stop late last week.
On Thursday afternoon, a deputy observed a vehicle run a stop sign and nearly hit a bicyclist at the intersection of 10th and Fir streets in Medford.
A deputy activated lights and sirens and the suspect vehicle eluded at slow speeds, running multiple stop signs with no traffic in the immediate area. The deputy got permission to perform a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver to disable the vehicle. But the PIT maneuver was unsuccessful and the vehicle continued to elude onto Barnett Road. Speeds increased to approximately 60 miles per hour.
The suspect -- later identified as 32-year-old Whitney Ann Word -- ran a red light at the intersection of Barnett Road and Riverside Avenue, and nearly collided with a vehicle. A second PIT maneuver was successful and the Medford police officers arrived to help place the suspect into custody near Highland Drive.
Word -- who is a well-known offender in Grants Pass and Josephine County -- was lodged at the Jackson County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangering.
A passenger in the vehicle -- 51-year-old William Clifford Sanders, a Medford area transient -- interfered with the arrest and was also booked into jail. He was charged with Resisting Arrest and Interfering with a Police Officer.
Posted on 6/30/25 6:19AM by Sam Marsh
