On August 3 at 4:21 p.m., there was a rear-end crash on I-5 between Coburg Road and I-5. A person, later identified as Marc Howard Rodakowski, age 50, of Eugene, was driving his Volkswagen Passat eastbound on I-5 between Coburg and I-5 when he lost control of his vehicle and rear-ended a Nissan Sentra, being driven by a 42-year-old Cottage Grove woman. The victim did not require medical attention.
Rodakowski and his girlfriend immediately ran from the scene southbound into a nearby neighborhood. Patrol officers responded, along with a K9 unit, to search. An officer spotted Rodakowski in the 1300 block of Barrington Avenue and he was quickly detained. His girlfriend was located in a different part of the neighborhood. Prior to Rodakowski being detained, while he fled from the scene, he is reported to have left his girlfriend behind and entered an open garage and grabbed a motorcycle and tried to flee on it. The motorcycle was dead so he pushed it down the road a few blocks until he walked it up to a nearby driveway and knocked on the door to see if the resident would jump the motorcycle. This is when the officer spotted and contacted Rodakowski.
It was also found that Rodakowski may have ended up with a bike between Beltline and I-5, south to Willakenzie. If anyone is missing a bicycle from this general area, please call Officer Trevor Hart at 541.654.1242.
Rodakowski was charged with Hit and Run, DUII, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering, Burglary in the First Degree, Unauthorized Use Vehicle, and issued a citation for Driving While Suspended.
Case 21-11888