DUII suspect stopped, arrested after Hwy. 97 pursuit

It took the use of spike strips and a “pursuit intervention technique” for police to stop an SUV and arrest a 65-year-old Southern California woman on drunken driving and other charges after a pursuit on Highway 97 from Bend to Redmond early Tuesday morning, officers said.

Bend police were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. to a report of an intoxicated driver swerving all over the road on Highway 97 near Empire Avenue, Lt. Jason Maniscalco said.

Officers located the silver 2018 Nissan Rogue about 10 minutes after the report, heading north on Highway 97 near Cooley Road, and saw the driver swerving across several lanes of travel, Maniscalco said.

Police tried to stop the driver, later identified as Larklyn Smith Blunck of Escondido, Calif., but she would not yield. Officers pursued the SUV north toward Redmond at speeds that did not top 60 mph, the lieutenant said.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies helped Bend police during the pursuit by deploying spike strips to deflate the SUV’s tires, but Maniscalco said Blunck kept driving on the now-deflated tires.

Deputies conducted a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuver to stop the SUV near the intersection of Highway 97 and Southwest Quarry Avenue, Maniscalco said. There were no injuries during the incident, he added.

Blunck was arrested and booked into the county jail in Bend on charges of DUII-alcohol, attempting to elude police, reckless driving and reckless endangering. She was held on $25,000 bail.

Redmond police and Oregon State Police also assisted during the incident, Maniscalco said.