Culver man dies trying to elude police
Published 2:55 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2015
A 33-year-old Culver man was killed Friday night when he sped away from a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy attempting to pull him over, lost control of his car and slammed into a tree, according to the sheriff’s office and Oregon State Police.
His passenger, a 20-year-old Bend man, was seriously injured and taken to St. Charles Bend, according to both agencies.
The incident began about 9:20 p.m. in Culver when the deputy attempted to stop a Honda Accord that was being driven erratically and without lights. The driver, Derek Kyle Mach, failed to stop and attempted to elude the deputy, according to a news release from Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins. Mach eventually ending up driving south on SW Feather Drive,
The Honda reached speeds up to 100 mph, and after traveling several miles, Mach lost control near SW Imo Lane, slid off the road and into a juniper tree, the sheriff said in the news release.
Mach, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene. He had a felony arrest warrant alleging violation of a release agreement, condition release violation and larceny, according to the sheriff’s news release.
The passenger, Emilio Jesse Lucero, was wearing a seat belt. Personnel from the Jefferson County Fire District freed him from the vehicle. He was taken by ambulance to Culver High School, where a helicopter picked him up and flew him to St. Charles Bend, according to the sheriff’s news release. Lucero was under post-prison supervision related to drug charges, the news release stated, and restricted from possessing or consuming alcohol.
The sheriff has asked the state police to conduct the investigation, according to the news release.