On July 28, 2022, at approximately 11:42 AM, Troopers from the Oregon State Police St. Helens worksite responded to the report of a reckless driver on Highway 30 milepost 28. It was reported that the offending driver was “all over the road” in a silver passenger car. The reporting party provided a description of the offending vehicle, which was later identified as a silver 2003 Buick Regal 4-dr. Troopers located the suspected vehicle but quickly lost sight of it within the City of St. Helens. A short time later, the suspected vehicle was relocated by Troopers and observed to have dangerous driving behavior. Troopers initiated a traffic stop on the silver Buick near the McDonalds in St. Helens. The silver Buick fled, and a pursuit ensued eastbound toward Scappoose. The suspect fled to approximately milepost 26.5 and then turned westbound back to St. Helens. The suspect then fled westbound through St. Helens, Columbia City, and finally into Rainier. The driver, who was the sole occupant, was observed driving dangerously and intentionally over-taking vehicles head-on, drove at varying speeds, and was unable to drive within his own lane.
The suspect drove so dangerously that Troopers discontinued pursuing. The police later located the suspected vehicle in Rainier. When the suspect vehicle was located it was parked and unoccupied.
A containment perimeter was established, and a coordinated search ensued. Meanwhile, information was collected from agency partners regarding the suspected driver’s identity.
At about 5:20 PM, the suspect was located within the containment area near Grocery Outlet in Rainier. The suspect’s identity was confirmed as Davis Jeffery Hartman (38) of Tacoma, WA., and he was taken into custody without incident.
OSP is asking for anyone that witnessed the incident and/or was endangered by the suspect’s behavior to call Oregon State Police Dispatch at 800-442-0776 and reference case # SP22193475.
OSP was assisted by St. Helens Police Department, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Rainier Police Department, and the Washington State Patrol.