The Clatskanie Chief
CLATSKANIE, Ore. — A multi-agency manhunt for a wanted felon ended successfully Saturday morning, April 5, when Patrick Allen McMillan, 41, was taken into custody while he was walking along Alston-Mayger Road.
The hunt for McMillan began early Friday afternoon, after he escaped on foot near where he had been staying at the intersection of Bodine and Quincy-Mayger roads near Mayger about five miles northeast of Clatskanie.
Clatskanie Police Officer Joe Harrison with his K-9 police dog Ike was on his way to arrest McMillan, who was wanted on several felony warrants, with Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Josh Harper enroute to assist.
As Harrison pulled onto Bodine Road near the house where McMillan was reportedly living with his wife and children, he met McMillan driving down the driveway. McMillan jumped from his vehicle into the brush. Harrison was unable to release Ike to chase the man because there were three other dogs at the scene, posing a probable distraction and threat to Ike.
Reinforcements were immediately called, and law enforcement personnel from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, city police officers from Clatskanie, Rainier, Vernonia and St. Helens, and K-9 units from the Cowlitz and Clatsop county sheriff’s office all responded.
Columbia County Under-Sheriff Gerry Simmons searched the woods in the area from the sky on a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
But, McMillan was not found.
The three police dogs all tracked him to a point on Alston-Mayger Road, where it was thought McMillan may have entered a vehicle and left the immediate vicinity.
The hunt was called off at dark, but citizens in the vicinity were warned over the emergency automated calling system that McMillan was at-large, and considered armed and dangerous. Portland television stations carried his picture, and it was circulated locally through the Chief’s e-mail news bulletin service. He was described as 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing about 180 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Early reports that gunshots were fired, were found to be unrelated to the manhunt.
Simmons told the Chief this week, that after darkness fell Friday night, law enforcement officers continued to patrol the rural roads in the area, with the last sheriff’s deputy going home at 3 a.m.
McMillan Wrecks Car, Citizens Call 911
According to Columbia Emergency Communications District 911 logs, a citizen called 911 at 4:26 a.m. reporting that McMillan had come to their residence, identified himself and said he had crashed his car, about eight miles from where the search was concentrated on Friday afternoon and evening.
McMillan then reportedly left the area on foot.
The 911 log indicates, that after the phone call from the reporting party ended, the dispatcher contacted Simmons at 4:48 a.m. Simmons instructed 911 to call out deputies immediately. Sheriff’s Deputy Russ George was called at 4:49 a.m. and Detective Scotty Davidson was called at 4:54 a.m. Davidson arrived at the scene of the crash near the intersection of Heath and Wonderly Road at 5:09 a.m., with George only moments behind him.
They searched the immediate area, then called out Clatskanie Officer Harrison with his K-9 Ike to join the search. Rainier city police also joined the search.
At 8:47 a.m. several citizens called 911 reporting that they had seen a man matching McMillan’s description with a backpack walking on Alston-Mayger Road. Rainier Police Officer Ron Larson located him walking along Alston-Mayger Road towards Highway 30, about three-quarters of a mile from the highway, Simmons said. Rainier Officer Greg Budrius and Detective Davidson joined Larson and assisted in arresting and handcuffing McMillan without further incident. An Oregon State Police officer arrived at the scene as McMillan was being loaded into Davidson’s car for transport to the Columbia County Jail.
McMillan is being held on a no-bail state parole board warrant, and a Columbia County sheriff’s warrant with a total of 20 counts. Total bail on the Columbia County warrants is $515,000.
McMillan has Long Criminal History
A Columbia County Grand Jury had returned an indictment against McMillan on Feb. 14, and the warrant for his arrest was signed on Feb. 19. The indictment charged McMillan with three counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault and kidnapping in connection with the alleged kidnapping and assault of a woman on Dec. 7.
Simmons said the attack had occurred at a location on Schaffer Road area in the rural Trenholm area south of Apiary.
The crime was first reported to the sheriff’s office on Dec. 11. A search warrant was obtained and evidence gathered, then presented to the Columbia County district attorney’s office which brought it before the grand jury on Feb. 14.
McMillan was one of the subjects of the multi-agency warrant sweep, funded by a grant received by the Clatskanie Together Coalition on Feb. 28-29, but he had apparently been warned that law enforcement officers were attempting to locate him, and had left the area, Simmons said.
The Columbia County deputies, aided by Clatskanie city police, had been watching for him since. They learned last week that he was reported back at the house occupied by his wife and children on Bodine Road. The plan was then made for Harrison and Harper to arrest him Friday.
After McMillan’s escape Friday, Simmons said McMillan’s wife cooperated with law enforcement officers in allowing them to search the house they are occupying on Bodine Road.
In addition to the Columbia County felony charges, McMillan was wanted on a parole violation. McMillan was a prisoner in the Oregon state prison system from April 9, 1998 until July 7, 2005 on sentences for attempted burglary in the first degree, felony driving while suspended, assault in the second degree and felon in possession of a weapon. He was paroled by the state of Oregon, and was being supervised by corrections officers from Multnomah County where those crimes were committed, but had violated his parole.
He was also on probation in Washington state from July 8, 2005 - one day after his release from the Oregon state prison system - until July 7, 2006 on one count of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
Copyright 2008 The Clatskanie Chief