Salem police dog Dillon nabs two suspects in one days work
February 10th, 2009 | by admin |On back-to-back nights, police chases in Salem ended with the same result: Salem police dog Dillon taking a suspect into custody.
The police dog and his handler Officer Trevor Morrison stopped two drivers who first tried to outrace police, then tried to run away.
The first incident began about 4:30 a.m. Sunday in northeast Salem, Salem Police Lt. Keith Blair said.
Officer Morrison spotted a car speeding through a red traffic light at Fairgrounds and Silverton roads at 45 to 55 mph, Blair said.
After a short pursuit, the vehicle stopped near Columbia Street NE and Fairgrounds Road NE, and its driver ran away.
Morrison and Dillon tracked down the driver, who did not obey the officers commands and was bitten, Blair said.
Francisco Gutierrez-Escalante, 21, of Salem, was arrested on charges of reckless driving, misdemeanor elude and driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Gutierrez-Escalante was treated at Salem Hospital for dog bite injuries and booked into the Marion County jail.
Not 24 hours later, another Salem police officer, Tony Vandekoppel, tried to make a traffic stop on a 1997 Dodge Neon at 3:40 a.m. Monday, Blair said.
The vehicle failed to stop at Wiltsey and Sunnyside roads SE and took off, leading officers on a chase lasting 17 minutes.
The police chase circled Salem, driving up to Mission Street SE, around Airport Road SE and out to Interstate 5, Blair said.
The Neon avoided several attempts by police to place stop sticks in front of the car to halt the chase.
The chase ended back in South Salem, when the driver rolled out of car while it was still moving in the 1100 block of Genie Court S, Blair said.
The Neon continued driving uncontrolled and crashed into a residential garage. No one was reported hurt.
The driver ran away, but soon was caught by Dillon and his handler Morrison in the 1000 block of Denise Street SE.
Curtis Sly, 22, with no known address, was arrested on nine counts of reckless driving, felony and misdemeanor elude, failing to perform the duties of driver, meth possession and carrying a concealed weapon, which was a knife, Blair said. Sly also was wanted on six Deschutes County warrants.
Sly received minor dog bite injuries and was evaluated at Salem Hospital before he was booked into Marion County jail.