Pregnant Woman In Stolen Truck Saved From Drowning, Dog Rescued

HILLSBORO, OR —Just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Sergeant Steven Schuster with the Washington County Sheriff's Office was driving on Souhwest Minter Bridge Road by the Tualatin River when he saw a 1992 Nissan pickup parked along the side of the road. He went over to see if they needed help.

A woman in the pickup told him that they had run out of gas, her boyfriend had gone to get more, and they were okay.

Schuster went back to is car and started to drive away. Moments later, he got word that the pickup had been stolen.

As Schuster and some deputies started back to the pickup, it sped away. They could see that the woman was in the passenger seat and a man was driving.

Schuster and the deputies gave chase and tried to get the pickup to pull over.

The man kept going, turning on to a field next to the Tualatin River. He drove another 300 yards and then off a steep embankment right into the Tualatin River.

Deputies could see the man climb out of the truck along with a dog that had been with him and the woman. The man and dog swam to the other side of the river and climbed up on the bank and ran away.

Meanwhile, the woman managed to get out of the truck but yelled for help, telling them that she could not swim. The deputies acted quickly because they could see the current starting to carry the woman away.

While one deputy shed their duty belt and vest, another deputy grabbed a rescue rope.

Once one deputy was in the water, the other threw an end of the rope.

The swimming deputy grabbed the rope and reached the woman. They deputies worked to get her safely back on land.

Once there, she thanked them, adding that she is 6-months pregnant.

They took her to a hospital where she was evaluated and released. She was not not injured.

Deputies are still looking for the man who they say is 32-year-old Jonathan Michael Laura.

If anyone has information on where he might be, they are asked to call 503-629-0111.

Later in the morning, deputies and people from Washington County Animal Services were able to find the dog who is safe and unharmed.

Around noon, the pickup was recovered from the river.

The sheriff's office identified the other deputies involved in the rescue as Michael Vargas, Daniel Lancaster and John Skoglund