Eugene police rescue 15-year-old after woman allegedly takes teen, leads officers on high-speed chase across Oregon before being arrested in The Dalles

Eugene, OR – Eugene police rescued a 15-year-old teenager after a woman was arrested following a high-speed pursuit that stretched across multiple Oregon highways, according to the Eugene Police Department.

The incident began at about 5:31 p.m. Sept. 8, when Eugene officers responded to a reported dispute at a home on West 29th Avenue. Police were told that a teenager in the care of a foster mother had left with her non-custodial biological mother, identified by police as Nicole Pearlstein, after a minor dispute.

The 15-year-old is a ward of the court and was in the custody of the Oregon Department of Human Services.

Police said they believed the teenager’s life was in danger and began searching for Pearlstein’s vehicle. According to Eugene police, Lane County Circuit Court had previously determined that Pearlstein was unsafe to care for the child because of paranoia, delusion and prior mistreatment or abuse. Police also said Pearlstein had previously expressed a desire to take the teenager out of state.

Just before 7 p.m., the foster mother contacted police again after receiving messages from the teenager. The teen reportedly expressed fear that she was being kidnapped and began sending messages describing road signs visible from the vehicle.

Those messages helped authorities track the vehicle as it traveled through Oregon.

At about 7:46 p.m., Oregon State Police troopers located the vehicle traveling northbound on Interstate 5. A brief pursuit followed, but Pearlstein abruptly exited the highway, causing the trooper to lose sight of the vehicle.

The teenager continued sending messages that provided information about the vehicle’s location. Police were eventually able to locate the vehicle again on Interstate 84, where another pursuit took place.

The pursuit ended at about 9:42 p.m. when Hood River County sheriff’s deputies successfully deployed spike strips to stop the vehicle in The Dalles.

Pearlstein was taken into custody following the traffic stop.

The teenager was safely removed from the vehicle and transported to DHS in Salem. Pearlstein was arrested and is awaiting extradition to the Lane County Jail on a charge of custodial interference.

The case remains under investigation.

Eugene police said the department was assisted by Oregon State Police, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Intertribal Police, The Dalles Police Department and federal partners during the investigation and pursuit.