On 12/17/2023, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received the report of burglary in which two service trucks full of tools were taken from a property in the Fall Creek area. Surveillance video depicted two suspects entering a shop and loading numerous tools into the service trucks before departing in them. The value of the stolen tools was over $20,000.
While Deputies were on scene, one of the service trucks was reported to have been found abandoned off of Peninsula Road. The second service truck was also located abandoned a short time later on a BLM Road off of Eagles Rest Road in Dexter. The tools had been removed from the trucks prior to them being abandoned.
Deputies were able to identify the suspects as 23-year-old Johnathon Wesley Needham and 33-year-old Jesse William Keith Shaw.
Deputies located Needham and Shaw at a residence in the Dexter area a short time later. A vehicle full of stolen tools was also located. Shaw was detained without incident, however Needham fled into a nearby wooded area. LCSO Sgt. May and his K9 partner, Hektor, responded to assist along with an LCSO drone team.
Needham was located hiding partially submerged in a pond and was taken into custody. After evaluation from medics, he was transported to the Lane County Jail. Shaw was also transported to the Lane County Jail where they were both lodged on charges including Aggravated Theft in the 1st Degree, Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and the Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle.