On December 19, 2014, at approximately 7:11 pm, Troopers from the Klamath Falls Patrol office attempted to stop an orange Ford Expedition for a traffic violation on Highway 66 in Klamath. The driver who was later identified as Christopher Sellars, age 32, of Klamath Falls, attempted to elude troopers while traveling westbound on Highway 66 towards Ashland. During the pursuit a large gas can was lit on fire and thrown towards an OSP patrol vehicle. Sellars continued to elude troopers for approximately 39 miles before the vehicle came to a stop and two of the three occupants fled on foot, near milepost 18, on Highway 66. The right rear passenger, Levi Cortez, age 25, did not flee and was taken into custody. The following day, the right front passenger, William Anthony Noble, age 25, was taken into custody near where the vehicle came to a stop. On January 30, 2015, a Southern Oregon University professor and students on a field trip found a deceased male approximately 1 mile south of Highway 66, in a forested area. A Jackson County Deputy Medical Examiner and an OSP detective responded to the scene and identified the deceased male as Christopher Sellars. The cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy from the State Medical Examiner’s office. For information, call Parks Information at 800-551-6949 or The Cove Palisades State Park at 541-546-3412 or visit oregonstateparks.org. Information will also be posted on the Cove Palisades blog, The Cove Rattler, at covepalisades.wordpress.com.
