Linn County Sheriff Jim Yon reports on Tuesday, June 15, at 2:18 p.m., his deputies performed a traffic stop on Rock Hill Road, south of Lebanon, when the operator stopped and ran through a field and into a grove of trees attempting to evade deputies.

Deputies handled a call earlier in the day where Nicholas Ames, 31, caused a disturbance near Sweet Home. He was reported to have left the area in a green mustang.  Throughout the day deputies watched for Ames during their regular patrols, eventually locating him south of Lebanon.  During the traffic stop, Ames stopped the vehicle and quickly ran through a farm field and into a grove of trees. Multiple agencies responded to assist in searching for Ames.  After three hours, Ames was located high in a tree.  At first, Ames refused to come down but a deputy on scene who is trained in crisis negotiations was able to talk Ames into cooperating and he was taken into custody.

Deputies have responded to multiple calls within the last few days where Ames was a suspect in assaulting people, violating restraining orders, and causing other disturbances.  He was transported to the Linn County Jail where he was lodged on multiple charges for Violating a Restraining Order, Reckless Driving, Elude on Foot, Elude in Vehicle and Violations of his Release Agreements from prior arrests.

Ames was involved in a similar incident in March when he attempted to evade deputies by driving through a farm field after suspected of theft.  At that time, Ames was uncooperative and ignored instructions as he acted like he had a firearm.  He was ultimately taken into custody after a lengthy negotiation.

Linn County Deputies were assisted by Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Albany Police Department, Lebanon Police Department and the Lebanon Fire Department.