Salem man suspected of dragging officer arrested, charged
A man suspected of dragging a police officer with a stolen car is facing 20 charges in Marion and Polk counties after he was arrested while fleeing another stolen vehicle outside a Salem motel.
Following almost a month at large, Kevin Acup, 51, was arrested Jan. 17. He is accused of dragging a Salem police officer 15 feet — causing him to break his shoulder — and driving the wrong way across the Marion Street Bridge and onto Commercial Street to evade arrest.
Two Salem police officers spotted a car reported as stolen out of Keizer parked at a gas station on Wallace Road NW and Taggart Drive NW on Dec. 19 and attempted to take Acup into custody.
When Officer Eric Moffitt reached in to turn off the car's ignition, Acup suddenly sped off, dragging Moffitt about 15 feet. The officer was able to free himself, fell to the ground and fractured his shoulder.
Witnesses reported seeing the stolen vehicle cross the Marion Street Bridge at a high rate of speed. Police decided not to pursue and later found the car abandoned in a Salem backyard.
According to court records, Acup broke into a woman's car on Dec. 6 and stole her debit card. He used the debit card twice at a West Salem Liquor Depot, Muchas Gracias and Redbox. The card was found in the abandoned stolen car, and police released footage from a surveillance video of Acup using the stolen card. A resident recognized Acup as the man in the footage and tipped off police.
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Just after 4 a.m. on Jan. 17, police located a vehicle associated with Acup parked outside the Howard Johnson motel on Mission Street SE. They waited for Acup to arrive, then blocked his vehicle with their patrol cars. He fled on foot toward the motel but could not open the door.
The vehicle he had been driving was also reported as stolen, and police found methamphetamine inside the car.
The man officers arrested looked very different from the mugshot posted online. Acup's salt-and-pepper hair was dyed blond, and his beard was shaved.
"I would not have recognized him if I walked past him on the street," a detective noted.
During his interview with police, he told detectives he changed his appearance to avoid detection. He blamed his drug addiction for his actions and said he did not "give a (expletive)" about anyone else. He also said he was remorseful about hurting the officer.
He later told detectives and his mother he planned to leave the state to escape conviction. Acup has been arrested more than a dozen times in Marion, Washington and Clackamas counties on drug, burglary and theft charges over the past two decades.
He was arrested on charges of assaulting a public safety officer, reckless driving, hit-and-run, vehicle theft, fleeing a police officer, reckless endangerment, third-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and five counts of identity theft. He was taken to Polk County jail and held without bail.
On Monday, additional charges of first-degree burglary, identity theft, methamphetamine possession, possession of a burglary tool and two counts of vehicle theft were filed in Marion County court against him. His next court appearances are scheduled for Feb. 7 in Polk and Marion county courts.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth
