HILLSBORO, Ore.- On January 15, 2020, Judge Eric Butterfield found Aronson Bellegarde guilty of two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons, driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree disorderly conduct in a bench trial. Deputy District Attorney Matt Wise prosecuted the case against Mr. Bellegarde.
On March 16, 2019, Mr. Bellegarde smoked a large amount of highly concentrated marijuana oil and got behind the wheel of his vehicle. He drove to the intersection of SW Hall Boulevard and SW Scholls Ferry Road in Beaverton, Oregon. He then abandoned his car in the middle of the street, jumped onto the hood of another vehicle and ran into a nearby grocery store.
The defendant then walked out of the grocery store, got back into his vehicle and started driving again. He nearly caused two head-on collisions as he drove through the Washington Square Mall area before he careened down a grass embankment leading to Highway 217. He then crashed into two vehicles driving northbound on the highway. An infant and young child were passengers in one of those vehicles. Fortunately, they were not hurt.
Following those collisions, the defendant stripped naked, rolled under various vehicles on Highway 217, jumped over the center median and took off running through the southbound lanes. Beaverton Police arrived and attempted to arrest Mr. Bellegarde. He again took off running but was arrested a short time later.
The defendant admitted to smoking a marijuana vape pen prior to the ordeal. A warrant was executed for his blood and urine. Those results showed high concentrations of THC in his system.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Beaverton and Tigard police officers in apprehending the suspect quickly so that no other drivers would be put at risk.
A sentencing hearing will be held on January 28, 2020 at 1:00 p.m.
