Warrants for his arrest did not keep him out of circulation

A man who forced his way into his former girlfriend’s house near Scio and tied up two boys early Saturday morning before killing himself had multiple warrants for his arrest, but Linn County authorities had not been looking for him.

The man, Ronald Alan Williams, 47, who lived in the Marion County town of Marion, had been arrested this past May in Linn County on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, driving while suspended and reckless driving.

He apparently didn’t show up for court because his warrants, as of Saturday, were for failing to appear on those charges.

He also had a Deschutes County warrant for assault and another warrant out of Jackson County.

Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller said this morning there are some 3,600 outstanding warrants in the county. They include everything from not paying fines to failure to comply with court orders to larger crimes.

“As deputies have time, they’ll pull warrants and hit different houses and try and make contact,” Mueller said, but deputies spend most of their time responding to calls.

There is no manhunt started for most warrants. Most of them are cleared when deputies come across people in a traffic stop or during another incident, as in the home invasion Saturday when they found Williams.

In cases where warrants are issued for major crimes such as sexual assault or murder, deputies do make the effort to track down the suspect.

Williams shot himself to death with a shotgun after having invaded the house of his former girlfriend northeast of Scio early Saturday.