Lane County Fugitive Arrested After Nearly 2 Years On The Run (Photo) - 02/19/26
On February 17th, 2026, detectives with the Chico Police Department arrested Jack Duane Crist, 48, of Florence, Oregon at an apartment in Chico, California. Crist was wanted in Lane County, Oregon on a Rape 1 conviction, and had led Lane County Sheriff’s detectives on a nearly 2-year search across multiple states.
Crist was first arrested in this case in January of 2023, in Florence, Oregon. He later entered a guilty plea with the Lane County Circuit Court for Rape in the 1st Degree and Attempted Rape in the 1st Degree for an incident involving a juvenile victim. In June of 2024, Crist failed to appear for sentencing and a warrant was entered for the original charges of three counts of Rape in the 1st Degree, Sodomy in the 1st Degree, and Attempted Rape in the 1st Degree.
Lane County Sheriff’s detectives learned Crist had likely fled to Alaska, but had little information to go on. They continued investigating and in 2024 confirmed he was in the area of West Plains, Missouri using an alias. Before local law enforcement located him, Crist fled the area. Detectives followed multiple leads, finally determining in early 2026 that he had been in Yucca, Arizona for approximately a year. Unfortunately, he had again left the area.
Detectives determined he was likely in Bly, Oregon, east of Klamath Falls, and quickly moved in. On February 17th, detectives served a search warrant with assistance from the Oregon State Police SWAT Team. Two residents were arrested for their role in hindering prosecution, but Crist was not located.
Detectives quickly determined Crist had fled to Chico, California, just days before. They contacted the Chico Police Department along with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Chico Police detectives conducted a surveillance operation at the residence in the 1500 block of E. Lassen Avenue where Crist was believed to be, and within hours, observed him exiting the home. Due to his distinct physical characteristics, Detectives were able to positively identify the person as Crist and swiftly took him into custody without incident.
Crist was arrested for his outstanding felony warrant and booked into the Butte County Jail to be held pending extradition by U.S. Marshals to Lane County, Oregon.
It is believed Crist had been in hiding in multiple other states, including Arizona and Missouri, and may have been using the aliases of “Zane Carson” or “Jack Watson.” A photo of Crist is attached. Anyone who may have had contact with or was victimized by Crist during his time as a fugitive is encouraged to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 682-4150 option 1.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the many agencies that assisted our detectives on this years-long, multi-state investigation:
- U.S. Marshals Service offices in:
Eugene and Medford, Oregon
Anchorage, Alaska
Springfield, Missouri
Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Yuma, Arizona
- Chico Police Department, California
- Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona
- Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona
- Oregon State Police
- Amtrak Police Department in Portland, Oregon
- Alaska State Troopers
Attached Media Files:
Photo of Convicted Arrestee,
Arrest,
