Boring Oregon Man Destroys $100K in Nursery Plants While Fleeing Police

On October 8, 2022, about 9:15 am a deputy contacted a vehicle parked on the side of Highway 18 near SW Booth Bend Road in rural McMinnville. The deputy stopped to check on the vehicle, a white 2002 Ford F350 pickup thinking it was a disabled motorist. The deputy had a brief interaction with the driver who stated he was just resting. The deputy conducted a standard check of the vehicle registration and learned the truck had license plates belonging to a Dodge Durango displayed. When the deputy returned to investigate the switched license plates, the Ford pickup began driving away eastbound on Highway 18. After activating his emergency lights to make a stop, the Ford pickup accelerated away and attempted to elude the deputy.

The pickup continued to attempt to elude eastbound on Hwy 18 at speeds reaching 100 miles per hour, and then turned south on SE Wallace Road (Hwy 221). The pickup ended up deliberately driving off the roadway and traveled cross country through fields of nursery stock belonging to Bailey Nurseries.

Deputies established a perimeter and the driver eventually fled from the vehicle on foot. An Oregon State Police Trooper saw the driver flee from the truck on foot behind a residence, and deputies and troopers located the subject hiding in a shed. The subject was taken into custody and identified as Brandon Michael Hawthorne, age 24, from Boring, OR. The truck that Mr. Hawthorne attempted to elude in was found to be stolen from LaGrande, OR.

Deputies recovered items which were stolen from a different vehicle in Vancouver, WA inside the truck, and found that personal property belonging to the owner of the pickup, including firearms which were in the truck at the time it was stolen in LaGrande, OR were not in the vehicle. While driving overland through the Bailey Nurseries property, numerous rows of plants were damaged and destroyed, constituting loss exceeding $100,000 to Bailey Nurseries.

Mr. Hawthorne was lodged in the Yamhill County Jail on the following charges:

Attempt to Elude-Felony

Attempt to Elude-Misdemeanor

Criminal Mischief 1^st Degree

Reckless Driving

Reckless Endangering of Another (x6 counts)

Unlawful Use of a Vehicle

At the time of booking there was no bail per the Senate Bill 48 Presiding Judge’s Order in Yamhill County. A bail amount in the amount of $50,000 was set when Mr. Hawthorne was arraigned in Yamhill County Circuit Court.