8
T he C olumbia P ress
May 15, 2020
Yearlong crime
spree catches up
with identity thief
A man who led police on a high-
speed chase from Seaside to Astoria
in 2017 has been sentenced to 57
months in federal prison for a year-
long crime spree that spanned seven
counties.
Garrett Pruitt-Rex-
road, 29, of Culver was
convicted of bilking
hundreds of individ-
uals, businesses, and
communities by steal-
ing cars, credit cards
and identities.
Pruitt-
In November 2017, he Rexroad
led Clatsop County offi-
cers on a high-speed pursuit along
Highway 101 before crashing in As-
toria.
In the car, officers found a wallet
belonging to a victim, a purse with
dozens of stolen credit cards and a
gun. They also found methamphet-
amine in his front pocket.
The next month, he stole an ATM
containing $10,000 from Mc-
Menamin’s Gearhart Hotel.
On Oct. 7, 2019, Pruitt-Rexroad
pleaded guilty to access-device
fraud, aggravated identity theft, and
possession of unauthorized access
devices.
Last week, a federal judge ordered
him to pay $55,824 in restitution
when handing down the sentence.
Budget: District
tightens belt
Continued from page 1
The budget is balanced – a state
requirement – and “affords the
flexibility demanded by these un-
certain times,” Rogozinski said.
It’s still unclear what classes will
look like in the fall.
“Chances are very high we will
start school in the fall with some-
thing other than a typical school
year,” he said. “We expect some
form of remote or distance learn-
ing with, perhaps, the ability to
bring some students into the build-
ing at specific times. … We’re in a
somewhat wait-and-see mode.”