55-Year-Old Dexter Man Arrested After Fleeing Head-On Crash on Eagles Rest Road

Eagles Rest Road near milepost 2 was the scene of a hit-and-run that ended with the arrest of James Lawrence Gehrman, 55, of Dexter, after he fled a head-on collision and hid in nearby woods, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said.

At approximately 4:40 p.m. on February 27, deputies responded to a head-on crash on Eagles Rest Road, and local fire personnel arrived on scene first, the sheriff’s office advisory states. When emergency crews reached the collision, one driver — identified in the LCSO advisory as James Lawrence Gehrman — sped away in a damaged vehicle.

A Bureau of Land Management ranger later located Gehrman’s damaged vehicle several miles from the crash site, and a deputy deployed the Sheriff’s Office K9 unit. The LCSO advisory said, "A deputy responded with K9 Ripp and got to work. Gehrman was soon found hiding in the forest nearby." The release also noted that Gehrman "was initially uncooperative, but soon decided to not give K9 Ripp any more work."

After surrendering, Gehrman was taken into custody without further incident and was lodged at the Lane County Jail under Lane County Sheriff’s Office case 26-1010. The sheriff’s office posted a photo/press release about the apprehension on March 3 titled "Lane County Sheriff’s K9 Ripp Apprehends Hit And Run Suspect (Photo)."

The LCSO listed four charges against Gehrman: Fail to Perform Duties of a Driver - Property Damage; Disorderly Conduct in the 2nd Degree; Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon; and Probation Violation on a conviction for Unlawful Use of a Weapon. The advisory closed by thanking the Bureau of Land Management for its assistance on the call.

Several key details were not included in the LCSO advisory. The identity and condition of the other driver involved in the head-on crash were not released, and the advisory did not specify injuries, whether anyone was transported to a hospital, or the precise number of miles between the crash site and where the vehicle was found. The statement also did not describe the alleged restricted weapon, where it was recovered, or provide booking numbers, bail figures, or an initial court date for case 26-1010.

The sheriff’s office materials and local affiliates KEZI, NBC16, and KVAL corroborated the timeline and the role of K9 Ripp and the BLM ranger in locating the vehicle and suspect. For now, the public record on the Eagles Rest Road collision is limited to the LCSO release and its March 3 photo/press posting; further documentation such as the collision report, weapon evidence details, and court filings were not part of the advisory and remain to be published by the county or shown in court.