Warm Springs, OR. — A Warm Springs, Oregon man has been charged in federal court with possessing firearms as a convicted felon and fleeing law enforcement officers following a high-speed chase, according to court records.
Edward Francis Jones, 32, was charged by criminal complaint with felon in possession of a firearm and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced.
“Running from justice puts lives at risk and threatens the safety of everyone around us,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “I am grateful to our federal and local law enforcement partners for their commitment to protecting the community.”
According to court documents, the case stems from a Nov. 6, 2025 incident on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, when officers with the Warm Springs Police Department observed a Hyundai sedan matching the description of a stolen vehicle. As an officer checked the license plate, the driver accelerated into a field at a high rate of speed. After the vehicle abruptly stopped following a collision, the driver—later identified as Jones—fled on foot and evaded officers.
Inside the stolen vehicle, officers located a loaded 9mm handgun with an obliterated serial number on the driver’s seat. They also recovered alcohol, fireworks, suspected methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, approximately 94 rounds of ammunition, and mail belonging to Jones.
On Jan. 7, 2026, deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spotted a Chrysler 300 driven by a woman known to be affiliated with Jones. When officers attempted a traffic stop for an expired registration, the vehicle fled through Madras at extremely high speeds, passing vehicles and driving into oncoming traffic before crashing.
A man exited the driver’s seat and ran from the scene. Drone operators from the Prineville Police Department located the suspect nearby, and officers took Jones into custody. Inside the vehicle, officers found a handgun on the driver’s side floorboard, along with a second pistol belonging to the female occupant.
Jones has been wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service since May 29, 2025, for supervised release violations tied to prior felon-in-possession convictions. Multiple agencies participated in efforts to locate him, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oregon State Police, and several Central Oregon police and sheriff’s offices.
Jones made his first appearance in federal court Tuesday before a U.S. magistrate judge and was ordered detained pending further proceedings. The FBI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlotte Kelley is prosecuting.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and Jones is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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