At 4:31 p.m. on December 20, two Eugene Police Street Crimes Unit officers were conducting a patrol check in the Autumn Avenue/Ross Lane area. One of the officers spotted a Honda Accord in a no parking zone with a person in the driver’s seat. It was a person the officers knew to be wanted and on a downward departure. The two officers approached on foot and when the driver spotted them, he accelerated away. A short distance away, the car stopped and the driver, believed to be Maurice Pierre Craft-Jones, age 40, of Springfield, exited the vehicle and ran towards the 500 block of Autumn Avenue.
The SCU officers called for additional units and Patrol, Drone Team and two EPD K9 units were deployed. An EPD K9 tracked to 555 Autumn and Craft-Jones was spotted upstairs in a duplex apartment. Arrangements were made for Craft-Jones to safely exit and he was compliant and taken into custody without further incident. He was lodged at Lane County Jail on the warrant and Elude Vehicle.
The fast response by patrol, Drone Team and K9 to assist SCU was responsible for a quick conclusion so that fewer personnel and resources were needed to be deployed. Case 22-19015
SCU works in concert with communities to help solve issues. The unit focuses on prolific offenders, who are identified through intelligence-based policing, public tips and other sources. They proactively respond across the city to quality of life issues as they arise, using all available resources and partners such as community groups, neighborhood associations and city services. SCU is dedicated to targeting immediate and acute community safety system issues while working toward mission-critical enhancements that need to be addressed through a longer-term and broader community safety initiative.
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