Capt. Joe Puckett of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department left the scene of February’s fatal crash after pursuing Ashland teen Kevan Thatcher-Stephens, and returned only when called back by other officers.

Dispatch records obtained by the Mail Tribune Friday in a police case report show Puckett left the scene of the wreck at Jackson Street and Riverside Avenue approximately 27 minutes after the crash. Thatcher-Stephens, 17, crashed his Jeep Cherokee into a Chevrolet Blazer driven by Charles Ashley Bench, 26, of Shady Cove.

Puckett, who was placed on paid leave following the incident and later resigned, told dispatchers he would make no report on the collision. But investigators with the Medford Police Department later called the sheriff’s second-in-command back to the scene.

"It was a surprise to us that he wasn’t there," said Medford police Lt. Tim George.

"You would expect that all the principals in this thing ... would still be ringside," George said. "He needed to be interviewed at great length."

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When he returned to the crash site, Puckett told Medford police detective Terry Newell that his mother had fallen ill and was being treated at Providence Medford Medical Center. The captain asked Newell to speed up their interview so he could go to the hospital.

Puckett had already dropped off an apparently unauthorized rider, Talent reserve officer Michelle Gideon, at her Talent home. No application was filed with the sheriff’s department for her "ride- along" with Puckett. Gideon told detectives that Puckett also told her his mother was in the hospital.

Sheriff Mike Winters Friday refused to discuss his department’s internal investigation of the captain’s actions that evening. He also said he could not provide information on the department’s policies regarding officers’ presence at vehicle crashes.

A grand jury in April cleared Puckett and Talent officer Jeff Price of any criminal wrongdoing during the Feb. 11 pursuit of Thatcher-Stephens. Puckett, however, remained on administrative leave until June because the Sheriff’s Department had not completed its internal investigation, Winters said.

Puckett was given a seven-day suspension for violating unspecified department policies on the night of the crash. He resigned June 13 after collecting more than $28,000 in pay and benefits while he was off the job.