Cop-eluding driver dead-ends at New Copper Penny

Find out why authorities think this fellow resolved not to be stopped – if only, in this case, for a traffic violation …

Workers begin the process of patching up the south wall of the New Copper Penny’s Pantheon Ballroom south wall.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
What began as a routine traffic stop in Clackamas County, near SE 82nd Avenue and SE Luther Road, ended up in Lents – with an allegedly dope-carrying driver at the wheel – in the early afternoon of April 10.

“Clackamas County deputies attempted to stop a Honda Accord for a traffic violation,” reported Sergeant Adam Phillips of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office of Public Information.

But – instead of staying put, the driver sped off, speeding north, into Portland.

“The suspect attempted to elude the deputy,” Phillips continued. “At 1:24 PM, at SE 92nd Avenue and SE Woodstock Boulevard, the suspect crashed into a Rescue Rooter van towing a trailer. The van was pushed into a Subaru Outback, and then came to rest against the New Copper Penny restaurant.”

Real damage was done to the outside of the building.

Fortunately, Phillips added, the drivers and passengers of both victim vehicles reported no injuries.
However, the suspect, 29-year-old Levi Rhyne, did complain of being hurt during the crash, and he was transported to Portland Adventist Hospital with minor injuries, Phillips said. “Investigators discovered methamphetamines inside the suspect car.”

Deputies say this man, 29-year-old Levi Rhyne, faces more problems than eluding a Sheriff’s deputy.

Records show that Levi Rhyne is on felony probation for ID Theft and Fraud.
Following medical treatment, Rhyne was booked into the Clackamas County Jail with charges of Attempt to Elude (Felony), Reckless Driving, Failure to perform the duties of a driver, and Possession of a controlled substance –methamphetamine.

All bail amounts were dismissed, records show, except for that of Eluding a Police Officer – for which Rhyne is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.

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