Oregon Suspect Falls 8 feet Into Badger Hole, Rescued and Arrested by Police

When an Oregon State Trooper began a traffic stop of a suspected stolen vehicle in Ontario, OR Thursday, nobody had any idea it would end hours later by digging a suspect out of the ground!

Around 7:30am Thursday, the trooper spotted a stolen 2001 Ford Explorer, with two men and a dog inside, they'd stopped at the Jack In The Box in Ontario. But instead of pulling over for the officer who lit them up after they pulled out of the parking lot, the vehicle fled.

The chase was terminated due to public safety, but less than two hours later, one suspect, 36-year-old Jerry E. Boatman was found and arrested for parole violations, and escape charges.  But the other suspect was nowhere to be found.

That changed quickly when an aerial search team spotted the same dog seen in the Explorer, it was running near Vale, OR on Bureau of Land Management territory.

A ground crew followed the dog, and saw it disappear into a hole. When crews arrived the found the OTHER suspect, 22-year-old Gregory A. Morrow of Ontario. He'd fallen feet first into a large badger hole, and become stuck some 8 feet down!  Officers who followed the dog heard him screaming at the top of his lungs when he realized people were nearby.

Officials say it took a considerable amount of digging to open the hole enough to allow him to be removed.  OSP officials said he would have likely died of exposure from cold temperatures, as he was wedged in and couldn't move his arms.

Once he was taken to the hospital in Ontario for minor injuries, he was sent to the Malheur County Jail on parole violation and escape charges.  No word on how the badger felt about having his domain invaded, but the furry critter was nowhere to be found during this ordeal.