ALBANY, Ore. — A person is facing more than a dozen charges after allegedly assaulting an employee at a truck stop in Albany, then leading police on a chase and ramming a patrol vehicle, according to Albany police.
Around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Linn County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to Loves Travel Stop on Old Salem Road. The suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Lucy Saure Diethylamide, assaulted an employee, and it was reported that they may have had a firearm, Albany police said.
Several minutes later, a black 2006 Jeep Liberty was stolen from a nearby home on Lauren Avenue. Police officers tracked down the Jeep and attempted to pull it over on Highway 20 near North Albany Road, but it didn't stop. The Jeep eventually pulled over and rammed a patrol vehicle before continuing to travel west on Highway 20, Albany police said. A Benton County Sheriff's Office deputy deployed a device that deflated the Jeep's tires, but it continued to travel on four flat tires. The Jeep went down a dirt driveway and through fields before Albany police officers and the deputy pinned it.
"The driver exited the vehicle and then appeared to be overdosing, and Narcan was administered," Albany police said in a news release. Albany police did not release any other details explaining why officers believed Diethylamide was overdosing.
According to charging documents, Diethylamide was taken to the Linn County Jail on 15 charges, which include both misdemeanors and felonies. They include assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude a police officer and unlawful possession of a firearm. In court Wednesday, it was confirmed Diethylamide had a handgun in their waistband when they were finally captured.
A spokesperson for Albany police confirmed to KGW that Diethylamide legally changed their name a few years ago. The word "Diethylamide" is also the formal name for the drug more commonly known as LSD. The suspect's initials also spell out "LSD."
While the employee at Loves Travel Stop is reported to be OK by a spokesperson with the business, the man whose car was stolen is dealing with a different situation.
Dennis Ellington said the day before the theft, his father passed away.
On Tuesday, he was at the home with his father's widow discussing funeral arrangements, and fortunately, he said, his wife left a few minutes before he did. Ellington was going to leave as well, but when he went outside, he noticed his car was on the move.
“I looked down the road and saw it was on the end of the street, turning right," he said.
Ellington chased it, and a woman driving along the road saw him chasing the Jeep and let him get in her car to follow the stolen vehicle. He said her selfless actions made a big difference with law enforcement being able to locate the Jeep quickly.
In court, Ellington expressed how much the thought pains him of what could have happened if his wife was there when the car was stolen.
"I lost one loved one, and I could have lost another — or my loved ones could've lost me over a car," said Ellington.
"People are out there committing crimes that when I was a child, no one would’ve ever thought this would happen in a town like this,” he continued.
While Ellington has his car back, it's significantly damaged.
The attorney in the court asked for security to be set at $100,000, and the judge said the trial deadline for Diethylamide is Nov. 8.