A Portland registered sex offender who was arrested Wednesday afternoon allegedly led officials into a car crash after they discovered a cellphone during a raid of his home, according to local media.
The man, who was identified as 43-year-old Travis Grygla, was on federal probation after pleading guilty in 2008 to distributing child pornography and a prior state conviction of encouraging child sex abuse as an adult, as well as attempted sexual abuse of a minor as a juvenile, according to Oregon Live. On Wednesday morning Homeland Security Investigations agents arrived at Grygla’s home after a tip alleged he was storing and sharing child pornography images, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Registered Sex Offender Arrested After Allegedly Attempting To Kidnap Child From School)
Grygla was arrested by agents and placed in the front passenger seat of an official’s car without handcuffs, however, roughly an hour into the investigation the sex offender told a nearby officer, “This is not going to go good for me,” according to an affidavit obtained by Oregon Live. As agents found hidden memory cards and a black Samsung phone within Grygla’s home, the 43-year-old locked the car doors and placed himself in the driver’s seat.
Officials said Travis Grygla was in Homeland Security custody when he fled in a special agent’s vehicle.https://t.co/l7L53gkzze
— KOIN News (@KOINNews) April 25, 2024
Grygla then took off, leading agents on a car chase down Portland’s Southeast Division Street onto Interstate 205 northbound, ramming into an agent’s car who attempted to stop him, Oregon Live reported. The registered sex offender reached speeds of 115 to 120 mph as he drove into Washington state.
Multiple agencies including Portland police, Vancouver police, Washington State Patrol and Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies became involved in the pursuit, which ended with Grygla’s stolen car being flipped by an officer who rammed into the vehicle off an exit of the freeway in Castle Rock, Washington, according to the affidavit.
Following the pursuit, Grygla appeared before the U.S. District Court in Portland on Thursday afternoon for alleged probation violations and charges of possessing or accessing with intent to view child pornography, according to the outlet.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chirnick told the court that agents had found a memory card full of images with child pornography in Grygla’s shoe that was in the stolen agent’s vehicle. An assistant federal public defender for Gryla, Peyton Lee, however, entered a not-guilty plea to both the charges and probation violation, Oregon Live reported.
Grygla was ordered to remain in custody pending his trial, according to presiding U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo.