11/23/25 - Deputies arrest 12 impaired drivers, respond to crashes over the week The Lane County Sheriff’s Office does not have a dedicated traffic team or deputy assigned to DUI enforcement due to lack of funding. However, our deputies are committed to the safety of our community, and that includes our roadways. Please consider others if you choose to drink or use drugs: 🚙 Plan your safe ride home ahead of time 🍺 If you drink or use drugs, do not drive for any reason 🔑 If you know someone has been drinking or using drugs, don't let them drive 💃 If you host a party with alcohol, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver 👍 And please, always wear your seatbelt! Deputies arrested 12 drivers for DUII over the week, 4 of which were in significant single-vehicle crashes. Each of these cases could have ended tragically, as our deputies often see out on our roads. Please drive safe this holiday season! On November 18th at 7:30 p.m., a deputy walking into the Sheriff’s Office in downtown Eugene witnessed a vehicle turn the wrong way onto Oak Street from 7th Avenue. The vehicle crashed into another car and became high centered on a drainage curb. As the deputy was standing next to the car, the driver attempted to switch seats with the passenger. The driver was identified as Samuel Edache Ogwuche, 26, of Eugene. After additional investigation, he was arrested for DUII. At 9 p.m., deputies responded to a single vehicle crash in the area of Clear Lake Road and Greenhill Road, west of Eugene. The vehicle had also damaged a fence and natural gas pump. Deputies contacted the driver, Destiny Lee Haley, 21, of Veneta, and observed signs of impairment. During the investigation, Haley kicked one of the deputies, causing injury. Haley was arrested for DUII, Assault on a Public Safety Officer, Reckless Driving, and Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree. On November 19th at 3 a.m., deputies responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash into a power pole on Parkway Road, east of Pleasant Hill. Deputies contacted the driver, Mariah Mercedes Cordell, 30, of Springfield, and observed signs of impairment. Deputies also located methamphetamine in the vehicle. After additional investigation, Cordell was arrested for DUII and Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. On November 20th just after midnight, a deputy stopped a car for speeding on River Road at Division Avenue, Eugene. Deputies contacted the driver, Sean Michael O’Kelley, 50, of Eugene, and observed signs he was impaired. After additional investigation, O’Kelley was arrested for DUII, and was also arrested on a Lane County Circuit Court warrant for Failure to Appear – DUII. At 2:30 a.m., a deputy observed a vehicle driving poorly on River Road near Silver Lane. The deputy initiated a traffic stop and contacted the driver, Christopher Byron Schendel, 38, of Eugene. The deputy observed signs Schendel was impaired. After additional investigation, Schendel was arrested for DUII. At 9 p.m., a deputy in Veneta observed a vehicle with no lights on fail to stop at a stop sign. The deputy initiated a traffic stop and observed signs the driver, Elizabeth Marie Kyleen Long, 45, of Veneta, was impaired. After additional investigation, Long was arrested for DUII. On November 21st at 2:30 p.m., deputies responded to a report of an intoxicated driver leaving a parking lot in Veneta. A deputy located the vehicle and contacted the driver, Albert Colin Hayes, 53, of Veneta. The deputy observed signs of impairment, and after additional investigation Hayes was arrested for DUII. On November 22nd just after midnight, deputies responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash in the 39500 block of Deerhorn Road, south of Walterville. Deputies contacted the driver, Sergio Armando Guadalu Soto, 30, of Springfield, and observed signs of impairment. After additional investigation, Soto was arrested for DUII. At 10:30 p.m., a deputy observed a vehicle driving poorly in the area of River Road and Horn Lane and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, Peyton James Lekoff, 21, of Springfield, had a Springfield Municipal Court warrant for Failure to Appear – DUII, and a Eugene Municipal Court warrant for Failure to Appear – Driving While Suspended (Misdemeanor). The deputy also observed signs Lekoff was impaired. After additional investigation, Lekoff was arrested on the warrants and DUII. At 11 p.m, a sergeant observed a vehicle speeding on River Road at Horn Lane. The sergeant initiated a traffic stop and observed signs the driver, Mark Pierpoint Kane, 61, of Eugene, was impaired. After additional investigation, Kane was arrested for DUII. On November 23rd at 6 p.m., deputies responded with Cottage Grove Police and Oregon State Police to a single-vehicle crash over the railroad tracks along Highway 99, south of Cottage Grove. They also discovered the vehicle had struck a fence and mailboxes earlier. Deputies contacted the driver, David Linden Schenkel, of Cottage Grove, and observed signs of impairment. After additional investigation, Schenkel was arrested for DUII, Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Fail to Perform Duties of a Driver – Property Damage, Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, and Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree. At 9 p.m., deputies responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash in the 27600 block of Crow Road, west of Eugene. The driver, Kenneth John Weekes, 41, of Eugene, was transported to an area hospital. Deputies observed signs Weekes was impaired, however he became uncooperative. After additional investigation, Weekes was arrested for DUII, Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Disorderly Conduct in the 2nd Degree.