Charges filed against UO football player, as affidavit details high-speed car chase

Police searching for a Dodge Durango involved in a Springfield police pursuit early on the morning of Oct. 18 found a matching vehicle minutes later at a gathering attended by University of Oregon football players, according to an officer’s affidavit.

Messiah Hampton, the vehicle’s registered owner and a Ducks wide receiver, was formally charged Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Lane County Circuit Court with felony fleeing or attempting to elude and misdemeanor reckless driving.

Hampton, 18, had previously been arrested and booked Oct. 30 into Lane County Jail on suspicion of eluding, then released the same day.

Hampton has not appeared in any Oregon football games since an Oct. 17 home game against Nebraska. On the season, he ranks fifth on the team in receptions with 18 and has scored two touchdowns.

Affidavit details pursuit

Officers received a warning at about 3:50 a.m. Oct. 18 from another officer about three speeding vehicles following the traffic stop of a fourth vehicle near Centennial Boulevard and Pioneer Parkway West, according to the affidavit filed in court Nov. 10.

Two nearby officers observed three vehicles first on Pioneer Parkway East. The vehicles then traveled “at a very high rate of speed” eastbound on Interstate 105, with officers traveling “at approximately 120 miles per hour in order to catch up to the vehicles,” according to the affidavit written by Conner O’Leary, a Springfield police officer.

Despite the affidavit referring to I-105, the highway is officially Oregon Highway 126 in that area, east of Interstate 5.

With the three vehicles stopped at a red light at the Mohawk Boulevard off-ramp from Highway 126, two officers activated their flashing lights, the affidavit states.

The vehicles did not stop, instead traveling north on Mohawk Boulevard before one vehicle turned east onto Marcola Road while two others, including “an unlicensed dark colored Dodge Durango,” continued on 19th street “rapidly accelerating away from the police.”

The police vehicle traveled at a speed of about 80 mph, with the fleeing vehicles going “noticeably faster” than the patrol car, according to the affidavit.

The pursuit continued, with the Durango at one point attempting to turn west onto Yolanda Avenue when it “failed to properly navigate this turn and appeared to crash into the curb.” 

A single police car was in pursuit, and when it attempted to follow the other vehicle “sight of the Durango was lost” at about 3:54 a.m., according to the affidavit. About the pursuit of the other vehicle, the affidavit states only that it was “terminated.”

The distance from the Mohawk Boulevard off-ramp to Yolanda Avenue is about 0.8 miles.

Police investigation

The officer who warned others about the three speeding vehicles obtained information about a planned gathering on W Street, and officers went there and spotted a Dodge Durango with “fresh damage to the passenger side wheels.” The vehicle appeared to match the description of the vehicle involved in the pursuit.

Officers obtained the vehicle identification number of the Durango on W Street and “it was determined to be registered to Messiah Amare Hampton,” but no arrest was made that night.

“It was found that multiple Oregon Duck football players were at this location. Hampton was also an Oregon Duck football player. Contact with Hampton that night was not made as nobody would state that [the] vehicle belonged to them,” the affidavit states. It’s unclear from the affidavit if officers attempted to find Hampton that night.

Further investigation involved obtaining video “from the area” showing the Durango arriving for the W Street gathering at about 4:04 a.m., with video also showing a man getting out of the Durango dressed in “a unique outfit that consisted of a purple and red sweatshirt, bright pink gloves, black pants with a tribal design on the outside right leg, a black beanie and a large silver necklace,” as well as a woman getting out of the passenger seat.

Police studied social media accounts belonging to Hampton that showed images of him dressed in the same sweatshirt, pants and gloves, according to the affidavit, and police also obtained a search warrant for Hampton’s home where they found “the mentioned sweatshirt, pants, one of the pink gloves, a matching necklace and a black beanie.”

In an Oct. 31 news release, Springfield police said they were continuing to investigate who was driving a second vehicle that fled from police.

On the same night as the pursuit, Springfield police arrested UO wide receiver Evan Stewart on suspicion of DUII. Stewart has entered into a diversion program that, if completed, allows him to avoid having a criminal conviction.

Hampton’s arraignment hearing is set for Thursday, Nov. 12.