K9 Grim Locates Wanted Sutherlin Man

Douglas Co. Sheriff's Office - 06/28/18 

OAKLAND, Ore. – A man with outstanding felony arrest warrants is behind bars thanks to an alert citizen and K9 Grim.

On Wednesday, June 27, 2018, a Sutherlin Police Officer attempted to make a traffic stop, but the driver failed to yield and eventually ran from the vehicle in the area of Driver Valley Road and Old Pioneer Road. Several officers from Sutherlin Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office searched the area without success.

At 7:18 pm, a citizen called into the 9-1-1 center reporting a suspicious male who had come to his front door asking for water and a phone in the 1100-block of Driver Valley Road. The citizen believed the male may have been the suspect from the earlier incident.

Sutherlin Police and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area. Sheriff’s K9 Grim was deployed and began to track the individual. After approximately 30 minutes, K9 Grim located the suspect in a nearby hillside. The suspect, 21 year-old Johnny Lee Wells of Sutherlin, was taken into custody without incident.

Wells was transported to the Douglas County Jail where he was lodged on two outstanding felony arrest warrants.

Sutherlin Police are continuing their investigation of the earlier incident.

K9 Grim is a 6 1/2 year-old German Shepherd who has been with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office since June 2013. The K9 was purchased for the department by an anonymous benefactor. The K9 team is also generously supported by the non-profit organization Friends of Umpqua Valley Police K9 Programs, Bailey's Veterinary Clinic and other local businesses.