Condon Man Arrested After Pursuit, Vehicle Rollover in Sherman County

Feb 26

Written By Columbia Community Connection

Photo By Gilliam County Sheriff's Office

By Joshuah Albert

Gilliam County, Ore. Feb. 26, 2025 – A Condon man with multiple outstanding warrants and suspected of running into the Wasco Train Depot in December was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 25, after leading law enforcement on a pursuit that ended in a rollover crash on a rural road in Sherman County.

According to the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office, Frontier Regional 911 received a report at approximately 3 p.m. of a suspect operating a vehicle without the owner’s permission in Condon. The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Joseph Smith, was known to law enforcement in Gilliam, Sherman, and Wheeler counties and had three outstanding warrants. His driver’s license was also criminally suspended.

Deputies from the Gilliam and Sherman County sheriff’s offices, along with troopers from the Oregon State Police, searched for the vehicle along roadways between Condon and Wasco. At approximately 3:22 p.m., officers spotted the vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 206 near Cottonwood Canyon State Park in Sherman County.

A Gilliam County deputy and a Sherman County deputy with Troopers from the Oregon State Police, attempted a traffic stop, activating their emergency lights and sirens. Still, Smith refused to pull over and fled. He then turned onto Monkland Road, where he lost control, rolled the vehicle, and attempted to flee on foot before being arrested.

Smith was taken into custody on multiple warrants, including:

Wheeler County: Failure to appear for driving while suspended (misdemeanor).
Gilliam County: Failure to appear for driving while suspended (two counts), second-degree theft, and criminal trespass.
Sherman County: Secret indictment warrant for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, failure to perform the duties of a driver in connection to a Dec. 15 crash at the Wasco Train Depot, reckless driving, and driving while suspended.