An Aumsville man with a pending kidnapping charge was arrested in Silverton late Wednesday after a high-speed chase that ended with the suspect allegedly hiding in a local resident’s basement.
Steele James Davidson, 30, was pursued by police after he was allegedly seen together with the victim of a domestic violence incident for which Davidson was arrested in March.
He allegedly entered the victim’s residence in Jefferson on March 10 and held her against her will. Davidson is scheduled for trial Feb. 26, 2024, in Marion County Circuit Court on charges of second-degree kidnapping and first-degree burglary and faces at least 70 months in prison.
On Wednesday, Davidson was allegedly seen with the victim in the parking lot of the Fred Meyer on Market St. NE, in Salem, according to a probable cause statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies approached Davidson’s vehicle around 9:18 p.m. and he allegedly drove off before they could make contact. Davidson allegedly fled east on Market St. NE and managed to elude police after running a red light at Lancaster Dr. NE.
Shortly afterward deputies found Davidson’s truck abandoned in a residential area off Burton Place SE. They suspected Davidson had fled in a white Honda, and a GPS tracking bracelet revealed he was traveling north on Cascade Highway toward Silverton.
A Silverton police officer located the Honda in town and initiated a traffic stop, and Davidson allegedly fled on foot into a residence on the 200 block of W. Main St. Davidson’s GPS tracker confirmed he was somewhere within the house and a K-9 unit indicated he may have fled into the basement.
With the permission of the property owner, police entered the basement and took Davidson into custody without further incident around 11:15 p.m. He was booked into the Marion County Jail on charges of first-degree burglary, reckless driving, attempt to elude a police officer in a vehicle and attempt to elude a police officer on foot.
On Thursday the Marion County District Attorney’s Office filed a case charging Davidson with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He is scheduled for arraignment on this charge Nov. 15.
On Friday Judge Matthew Tracey ordered Davidson be held in lieu of $580,000 bail due to the potential threat he poses to the public, and as of press time Davidson remained held in custody. He was previously released in the kidnapping case May 25 after paying $29,000 bond, and prosecutors have asked to revoke this release agreement which could include forfeiture of the bond.
In addition to his new arrest and the pending kidnapping case, Davidson has pending charges of attempt to elude, reckless driving and reckless endangering. On Feb. 19 he allegedly fled police in a reckless manner with a passenger in his vehicle.
