Bend police arrest 24 in 4-month effort around Bottle Drop

Bend police said Thursday they have made two dozen arrests on various charges over the past four months in an effort to resolve crime issues around the Bottle Drop bottle and can return facility in northeast Bend, ranging from shopping cart thefts to abandoned vehicles, littering and drug activity.

The department’s Intelligence-Led Policing team, along with patrol officers, has been working on addressing the neighborhood’s problems on a daily basis, Lt. Clint Burleigh said.

“The Bend Police Department realizes members of our community commonly frequent this location on a daily basis to return bottles and cans,” Burleigh said in a news release. “Our goal is to make it a safe environment for members of the community.”

Over the four months, police facilitated the return of 100 stolen shopping carts back to local businesses. Burleigh noted that the carts are valuable to businesses, worth up to $250 each.

Six people have been arrested for stealing shopping carts in the area around the Bottle Drop return facility at 755 NE Second Street, he said.

Police also arrested two people for offensive littering in the area. Officers and community members pick up trash weekly around the location that has been discarded on the streets, alleys and sidewalks, Burleigh said.

They also have impounded seven vehicles abandoned and stored on city streets in the area, and have arrested 11 people for drug possession, the lieutenant said.

During the effort, police served a search warrant on June 6 on a silver Jeep Liberty parked on Second Street near Irving Avenue, arresting four Bend residents and booking them into the Deschutes County Jail. An investigation found people were frequenting the vehicle to use drugs and make drug deals, Burleigh said.

The raid turned up a large digital scale, glass pipes with methamphetamine in them and an undisclosed amount of cash. The vehicle also was impounded and put through the abandoned vehicle removal process.

Thomas Dillard, 44, was charged with methamphetamine possession and distribution and frequenting a place where drugs are used, kept or sold. Cassie Davis, 31, was charged with meth possession and frequenting. David Cook, 36, and Guadalupe Hernandez, 28, were arrested on arrest warrants and frequenting charges. Hernandez also was charged with giving false information to police.

“The Bend Police and Intelligence-Led Policing team is committed to making the Bottle Drop and surrounding area a safe place for our community members to go to,” Burleigh said.

“The sergeant and two officers working on the Intelligence-Led Policing team will continue working to keep the area around the Bottle Drop a safer place, he added, calling it another example of how the team “is continually working to make livability all over Bend better.”

Burleigh said they also have been working with Bottle Drop officials on ways to make the area safer. He noted that most people who return cans or bottles aren’t being assaulted or threatened, but the issues need to be resolved and continued attention is necessary.