Hunters help deputies track down a fugitive

By Terry Murry on Monday, October 4th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories

Heppner – Jeremy James Combes, 42, has been arraigned on a number of charges after eluding the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office Saturday night. District Attorney Justin Nelson said that Combes had run to a relatively remote area, but he had a lot of company.

“During the deer season opening weekend of hunting, there are actually a lot of hunters around,” he said. “They noticed this individual walking around and called that in to law enforcement.”

The pursuit began Saturday when Combes was stopped for a traffic infraction and was found to be in possession of a forged driver license in the name of Ryan Jeffery Post. His real identity was learned and there was an outstanding warrant for him. Combes took off, crashed his car, and then fled on foot around Sanford Canyon Road.

At some point, he stole an ATV from a farm, but Nelson said that eventually ran out of gas. When the deer hunters spotted him, he was on foot. The ATV has been returned to its owner.

Combes is being arraigned in Morrow County Circuit Court this afternoon (Monday). Charges against him include unauthorized use of a vehicle, attempt to elude, first-degree forgery, and unlawful possession of fictitious ID. “The license itself looked very real, I believe, but when that was run through the dispatch system, that individual’s name was not located in the system, so that’s what kind of started the red flags for the officer,” Nelson said.

Nelson did not yet know Combes hometown.