In the early morning hours of Thursday, January 21, 2021, the Tillamook County Sheriff’s office received a report of a vehicle stolen in the Idaville area. A 2015 Ford F150 pick-up truck was running unattended and being warmed up when it was stolen. Later in the day, a deputy responded to a report of a suspicious white male adult lurking around a house in Tierra Del Mar.
When the deputy arrived he saw the earlier reported stolen vehicle. The suspicious male, later identified as Edward D Merrill, 19, of Idaville, fled on foot with the deputy in pursuit. Other officers soon arrived in the area and the male was located again, now attempting to flee the area by hitchhiking. When approached by deputies, Merrill fled and when caught, Merrill resisted arrest and assaulted a deputy before being taken into custody.
Deputies want to acknowledge the members of the community that assisted in the location of Merrill as he ran through the Tierra Del Mar neighborhood.
In addition to the stolen vehicle, Deputies also located a bicycle which had been stolen from the Tierra Del Mar area. The pick-up truck and the bicycle were returned to their rightful owners. Merrill was arrested on an outstanding warrant for Escape III and Resisting Arrest, and charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Escape III, Resisting Arrest, Theft 1, and Assault of a Public Safety Officer.