It’s a wee bit nippy out there folks. So if you’re going to get arrested, better to succumb to your fate than attempt an escape and face the elements. Alas, 27-year-old Timofey Erofeeff of Scotts Mill, Oregon thought he was above the law and the weather, when the suspected boat prowler decided to flee police by driving his pickup off the pier at North Tongue Point and into a side channel of the Columbia River.
Bold choice, Tim.
Erofeeff managed to swim a couple of hundred feet into the freezing waters before deciding yeah, nah, and turning back on Wednesday. Some good-willed fishermen on a boat came to the young man’s rescue. Apparently the pier was too high for first responders to reach Erofeeff, who tried passing him a life jacket and a floatation ring.
Erofeeff was treated for hypothermia, after having spent a reported 20 minutes in the water, before he was booked into Clastop County Jail. Policed slapped him with second degree criminal trespassing, reckless driving (duh), third degree escape, interfering with a police officer, and of course, eluding police. Erofeeff has previously been arrested for burglary and theft.
According to the arresting officer, Timmy boy was driving 45 mph when he and his pickup, a Ford F-150, dived into the frigid water. The local police department has been in touch with the Coast Guard to retrieve the vehicle, which left a gasoline slick on the surface water. How Bonnie and Clyde… well, Clyde, at least.
