Late Wednesday night in south Eugene, what started as a solo car wreck near S. Willamette Street and Fox Hollow Road quickly turned into a backyard manhunt. Deputies called in not one but two K-9 teams after a heavily damaged sedan smashed through a guardrail and witnesses reported seeing two people walking north from the crash.
According to deputies, one man bolted, jumping a backyard fence and taking off on foot before they could get a track going. The dogs went to work, following scent across several yards until they alerted on a resident’s backyard, where deputies detained a person. A passenger from the car was treated at the scene for minor injuries by Eugene Springfield Fire.
On Feb. 19, just before midnight, deputies had responded to reports of a single-vehicle crash and found the unoccupied, heavily damaged sedan and a destroyed guardrail. A sergeant first deployed K9 Tito to track north toward Spencer Butte, and a handler with K9 Ripp later joined the search as Eugene Police and Oregon State Troopers set a perimeter around the area. Deputies say Ripp tracked over several fences and showed interest in a backyard where they found and detained the suspect, who was later lodged at the Lane County Jail. As reported by KATU.
How deputies used the K-9 teams
Lane County’s K-9 unit trains dogs for scent trailing and requires annual OPCA standards testing - practices that help teams locate fleeing suspects quickly, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. The Eugene Police Department notes that K-9 teams are an interagency resource frequently sent out for nighttime searches and perimeter tracking, a role that proved useful in coordinating the multi-agency response near Spencer Butte.
Arrest and charges
After the backyard detention, investigators identified the man as 28-year-old Edwin McIlvain of Eugene and booked him into the Lane County Jail on multiple counts. The sheriff’s office told reporters the charges include DUII, assault in the third degree, reckless driving, reckless endangering, criminal mischief in the second degree, failure to perform duties of a driver - property damage, and two counts of second-degree trespass. As reported by KATU.
What’s next
The Lane County District Attorney’s Office will review the case and decide whether to file formal charges, and booking remains subject to that review. Authorities say the investigation is still active and are asking anyone with video or information about the crash to contact the sheriff’s office.
