Tension filled the air for some guests at a Super 8 motel in Medford. Police locked it down for hours Saturday night, then ended up making six arrests, two of which, police say was a case of being at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
It was this Super 8 motel in Medford that was put on lock-down Saturday night. A scary situation for 12-year-old Tess Garrett who was attending a basketball tournament from out of town.
“I’ve never been in anything like this. There’s 17 cop cars around the hotel,” said Garrett.
Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies say around 8:30pm one of their deputies spotted a stolen car. A man and woman jumped out and ran into the hotel.
“Floor two is all locked off,” Garrett said.
Authorities say the woman, was associated with another man wanted on federal charges. Deputies thought he may have been armed. That’s why they called in help from Medford, Central Point and Oregon State police as well as a K9 unit. Authorities told some guests to evacuate and to others…
“They said we could go into our room but we have to lock the door.”
Deputies went to the wrong room at first but it turned out the couple inside were wanted on different charges. They were arrested. Police were eventually able to find the right room.
Authorities arrested Robert Powelson who is wanted by US marshals, the alleged driver of the stolen car, Juvenal Vega, the alleged passenger in the car Brittany Ortiz and Miguel Delfin who was also wanted by authorities.
The ordeal started around 8:30 saturday evening and ended around 11:40, the investigating Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy said.
As of Sunday, out of the six people taken into custody, three remain at the Jackson County Jail.
We’re told it’s possible the others may have been released due to overcrowding.
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