A motorcycle driver died early Sunday after a short high-speed chase in northeast Corvallis.

Just before 1 a.m., a Benton County Sheriff's deputy observed Jesse Robert Smith, 22, of Springfield, speeding along Highway 20 heading toward Corvallis.

The deputy tried to pull over Smith, but he sped away.

"The driver turned around and started going the other way on Highway 20," said Sheriff Department spokesman Scott Jackson. "He made a left on Conifer and lost control."

Smith crashed near the intersection of Conifer Boulevard and Conser Place, about a quarter-mile from the intersection of Conifer and Highway 20.

In fatal accidents, the Benton County Sheriff's Department policy calls for an investigation of the inci-dent by an outside agency. This episode is being studied by the Corvallis Police Department.

-Gazette-Times