Josephine County Deputies Arrest Wanted Man After Lone Mountain Road Chase Ends in a Ditch

By Diane Megaw On Feb 4, 2026

Courtesy: Josephine County Sheriff's Office

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. — At 3:29 am yesterday, 33-year-old Gavin Moore was arrested after fleeing onto Lone Mountain Road, chased by Josephine County Sheriff’s Officers.

After seeing a red GMC Sonoma pickup without a front license plate and a partially obscured rear number plate, deputies initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 199 and Lone Mountain.

Tidings Insight

A missing front plate or an obscured rear plate can justify a traffic stop. Once a driver flees, the pursuit related charges are separate from any existing warrant.

The driver, identified as Gavin Moore, who had a felony warrant for Distribution of a Controlled Substance (methamphetamine), was told that he was under arrest and to turn off the truck.

Moore sped off and tried to elude deputies on Lone Mountain Road, fleeing on gravel roads where he slid off the roadway. After placing his hands out the windows to give up, Moore backed his truck towards Deputy vehicles until his truck slid sideways again- and got stuck in a ditch.

From the ditch, Moore complied with commands and exited the truck, where he was taken into custody without further incident.

He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Attempting to Elude (felony), Reckless Driving, and on his warrant for Distribution of a Controlled Substance.

Tidings Context

In Oregon, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer is typically a Class C felony when the driver knowingly flees after a marked officer signals the vehicle to stop.

Josephine County Southern Oregon