Itinerant roofer target of manhunt
More than a dozen officers from the county, three cities, the highway patrol, parks and wildlife and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms searched vehicles, buildings, and farmland Tuesday afternoon and evening for a roofer who fled a worksite during an arrest attempt.
Multiple drones, airplanes, and police dogs were used in the hunt for Rafael Rodriguez Lopez, a Hispanic male wanted on a felony warrant in Colorado.
Marion sheriff’s deputies arrived at a home in the 1800 block of 170th Rd. and arrested Enrique Juarez Gonzalez, 19, on a felony warrant and booked him into Marion County Jail. Lopez was believed to have been on the roof of the residence at the time and fled as officers arrived.
Sheriff Rob Craft indicated the pair were sought by ATF in connection with a homicide, but details were not available or could not be verified.
At 4:41 p.m. deputies Travis Wilson and Josh Meliza set up a perimeter on county roads and were joined by deputy Kalen Miles.
Minutes later, Wilson reported a person fleeing on foot south from Quail Creek and 170th. Miles then spotted a man near railroad tracks just south of 170th. Meliza found a dropped carpenter belt, according to police scanner reports.
Wilson requested an aircraft to assist with the search at 4:53 p.m. and asked for back up from “Marion P.D., Peabody P.D., whoever’s available” minutes later and officers from there and Hillsboro joined in.
Officers continued to block off an area three miles southwest of Marion as search efforts continued into the evening. Craft said the search “would continue throughout the night, until we capture him.”
Last modified May 21, 2020