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N.D. – An Oregon fugitive was arrested north of Valley City early Wednesday morning after a two-hour pursuit and standoff that started near Jamestown.
39-year-old Jonathan Lee Oliver is wanted by the state of Oregon for absconding from probation and failure to appear on fraud charges, and was believed to be armed and dangerous. Sergeant Damian Hoyt with the Stutsman County Sheriff’s office located his vehicle on Interstate 94 near Jamestown at about 11 p.m. and called for backup.
After a brief stop where the man disobeyed orders to exit the vehicle, he led officers on a low-speed pursuit east on Interstate 94. Stutsman County sheriff Chad Kaiser says it was never a high-speed dangerous pursuit.
“The speeds were below speed limit, plus he stayed within his lane and didn’t do anything,” Kaiser said.
The man exited Interstate near Oriska and continued north on county roads before his vehicle tires were spiked and deflated on Highway 26 near the Sibley Crossing north of Valley City.
His vehicle went in the ditch, and after a 35-minute standoff where he disobeyed orders to exit the vehicle, Oliver finally surrendered without incident at 1:11 a.m. A glock handgun was found in the vehicle, but Kaiser says he never used the weapon.
“There was a gun in the vehicle, but it was in a gun case,” Kaiser said. “The gun was never brandished or used at all.”
Oliver is likely to be charged with fleeing by Stutsman County authorities, but will probably be extradited to Oregon to face his charges there.
Agencies involved in the incident include the Stutsman, Barnes, Griggs and Steele County Sheriff’s Departments. The North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Jamestown and Valley City Police Departments.
Kaiser said the sheriff’s department was on the lookout for Oliver after a teletype was sent out saying he may be traveling east on Interstate 94 and was considered armed and dangerous. Oliver’s last known location was near Dickinson at about 7 p.m. before Sergeant Hoyt spotted his vehicle heading east on Interstate 94 just west of Jamestown.
Oliver may be connected to alleged fraud schemes in North Dakota and other state. Sources say that Oliver was doing business as Western Steel Structures, selling farm buildings. Some of his customers claim they were defrauded out of tens of thousands of dollars after paying Oliver up front but not getting what was promised.
Oliver is being held in the Stutsman County jail and Sheriff Chad Kaiser says he’s already getting calls from out of state law enforcement agencies looking for Oliver.