Oen Evan Nicholson
Police say that a murder suspect forced a woman to drive all the way from Oregon to Wisconsin. The abductee had managed to talk him into surrendering, said her father.
Officers announced the arrest of Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, on Sunday, bringing an end to a search that involved multiple crime scenes.
Missing Person located pic.twitter.com/03dagwPB2X
— Springfield PoliceOR (@SPDOregon) June 20, 2021
Nicholson was wanted for allegedly murdering his father Charles Simms Nicholson, leaving the body at the older man’s trailer in North Bend, Oregon. Authorities said he fatally shot Jennifer L. Davidson, 47, at the Herbal Choices Marijuana Dispensary, and used a pickup truck to run over a couple at a campground area, killing Anthony Oyster, 74, and seriously injuring survivor Linda Oyster, 73. 911 calls regarding the dispensary shooting and campground attack came in Friday morning, said Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier in a press conference.
The suspect vehicle, a 2019 Dodge pickup truck, crashed and was set on fire, according to the D.A.. The man got out of the vehicle, appeared to be armed with a handgun, and fled into the bush, a witness said according to authorities.
Meanwhile, Springfield police were on the lookout for Laura Johnson, who went missing on Friday.
Missing Person: Laura Johnson of Springfield
34 year old female, 5’1 tall, 280 lbs, with brown hair & brown eyes
Johnson was last seen June 18th, 2021 at 1230 hrs in the Gateway area. She was driving a black 2008 Honda CRV with Oregon License plate “708MGA”. pic.twitter.com/kr9XxLgstZ— Springfield PoliceOR (@SPDOregon) June 19, 2021
Video surveillance regarding missing person Laura Johnson- please note there is no one near her vehicle. pic.twitter.com/NtkO9fiNRx
— Springfield PoliceOR (@SPDOregon) June 19, 2021
Johnson was out on a lunch break from work, officers said. According to cops, it turned out that Nicholson got to her when she returned to the parking lot. He forced her to drive north, going all the way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin “where he was arrested without incident.”
Officers did not detail the circumstances of that arrest, but Johnson’s father said Laura talked Nicholson into giving up.
“He approached her in her vehicle with a gun,” Dennis Johnson told Oregon ABC-affiliate KEZI. “They said she was forced to drive 33 hours to where they’re at. She was able to talk him into turning himself in.”
Linda Oyster remains in critical condition, Fraiser said in the press conference on Sunday.
Defendant Nicholson is charged with six mounts of murder because of the way that the law is written in Oregon, said Fraiser. There were only three deaths. He also faces one count of attempted murder in the second-degree, one count of first-degree assault, and two counts of failure to perform duties of driver to injured persons.
[Image via North Bend Police Department]
