Manhunt east of Oakridge called off

OAKRIDGE — An intensive search of the woods east of Oakridge for an armed man who kidnapped, robbed and stole the car of a Hillsboro man at Cultus Lake Campground was discontinued by police Friday night. Oregon State Police troopers will continue to patrol the area during the weekend, according to OSP Sgt. Lang Hinkle.

The man was last seen fleeing on foot from the victim’s vehicle Thursday afternoon after attempting to elude Oregon State Police troopers westbound on Highway 58 about seven miles east of Oakridge.

Police tentatively identified the suspect as James Patrick Powers, 47, a registered sex offender from Idaho.

Oregon State Police spokesman Gregg Hastings said Friday that police still believe the man is somewhere east of Oakridge in the woods. There’s nowhere else out there for him to go, Hastings said.

Police agencies had been searching for the man around the clock since Thursday afternoon. During the past two days, state troopers and Deschutes County deputies were assisted by a Lane County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, LCSO canine units, Eugene Police Department and Springfield Police Department.

A flier was distributed in the local area with the help of the Oakridge Police Department to help inform residents about the suspect.

Highway 58 remains open for traffic but travelers are cautioned not to pick up any hitchhikers they may encounter in the area.

According to the Idaho Sex Offender Registry, Powers was last registered to a Boise address and was convicted of a 1981 rape in California.

About 12:26 p.m. Thursday, Deschutes County 911 received a report of a robbery and car theft near the campground. A 37-year-old Hillsboro man said he had been camping in the area for a couple of days and was walking to his car on a Forest Service trail when a man approached him from behind. The victim said he was ordered off the trail at gunpoint by the suspect and had his hands duct-taped to a tree.

The robber demanded the man’s keys, wallet and backpack and drove away in his green 1997 Honda Civic.

An OSP trooper spotted the car on Highway 58 less than an hour later and, after a short chase, the man drove the vehicle into a ditch and fled on foot, according to police.

An eight-mile stretch of Highway 58 was shut down for three hours Thursday as police searched the area.

Bowers is described as 5-foot-10, 220 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, a bushy mustache, wearing a camouflage or dark-green-colored long-sleeve jacket or shirt and a tan colored hat.

Anyone spotting the suspect, who was reportedly armed with a long barrel firearm when last seen, should call 911 or the Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888. Anyone with information regarding his location is asked to call Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office at 541-388-6655.