Lane County burglary suspect chase ends on Highway 58 with spike strips

What began as a burglary response on Jasper Lowell Road ended hours later with a black BMW SUV stopped on Highway 58 after spike strips and a pursuit intervention tactic brought the chase to a halt.

Lane County sheriff’s deputies were first called to the 40300 block of Jasper Lowell Road at about 2:50 p.m. May 2, after one person reported trespassing on the property. A second resident then reported that someone had broken into the home and taken a car from inside a shop. Investigators linked the burglary to a black BMW SUV with Oregon plates, setting up the pursuit that followed later that evening.

Around 9:15 p.m., a deputy spotted the SUV in Lowell and began following it. The vehicle then drove recklessly eastbound on Highway 58, turning a burglary investigation into a dangerous roadway incident for other drivers in the corridor. Oakridge police deployed spike strips to slow the SUV, and deputies used a pursuit intervention tactic to end the chase in Lowell.

Authorities identified the driver as 28-year-old Brendon Andrew Johnson of Sprague River. He was booked into the Lane County Jail on charges of burglary, unlawful use of a car, eluding police, theft, unlawful entry of a car, reckless driving, reckless endangering and criminal mischief. Deputies also arrested him on unrelated warrants.

The second suspect, 28-year-old Emily Rose McGinnis of Klamath Falls, was booked into jail on charges of burglary, unlawful use of a car, theft and criminal mischief, along with unrelated warrants. The sheriff’s office identified the incidents as cases 26-2180 and 26-2183.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Oakridge Police Department and the Oregon State Police for helping with the case. The response underscored how quickly a property crime can become a public-safety threat on Highway 58, a key east-west route where a fleeing driver can place nearby motorists at risk and pull city and county agencies into a fast-moving stop.

Sheriff Clifton G. Harrold’s office patrols across Lane County’s urban, suburban and rural areas, including timberlands, waterways and coastal dune areas, along with investigating crimes and running the jail. Public records from the sheriff’s office records unit can be used to review incident logs and reports tied to the arrest and the response times in this case.