Bend man charged with stalking, harassing and threatening several women; police seek any other possible victims
(Update: More on charges, criminal record)
Was arrested in West Bend Safeway parking lot, months after threatening grocery shooting
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Bend man was arrested this week in the west Bend Safeway parking lot, accused of harassing and stalking several women in Central Oregon and elsewhere this year, as well as a call threatening to commit a shooting at an area grocery store, police said Friday.
Nathan Shaun Sprague, 37, called police in January to report fraudulent use of his credit card to buy a trash can and have it shipped to a home in Vancouver, Washington, police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
Around the same time, a Vancouver woman called police to report Sprague offered to buy her the trash can, then threatened to report the purchase as fraud. He then allegedly sent her a series of threatening messages and threatened to come to her home to do her harm.
In March, Miller said, Sprague called Deschutes County’s Stabilization Center and threatened to commit a shooting at a local grocery store.
Then, this month, a woman reported to police that “Sprague had called dozens of times and sent hundreds of unwanted text messages and messages on social media over the course of four days,” Miller said in a news release.
Days later, another woman told officers she met Sprague online and, after learning of the previous stalking allegations, blocked him on the app they been communicating on. Miller said Sprague then allegedly used a payment app to repeatedly message the woman, threatening to harm her.
Police took Sprague into custody shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Safeway on SW Century Drive. Miller said no weapons were recovered.
Sprague was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on five counts of telephonic harassment, two counts of second-degree stalking, two counts of coercion, two counts of initiating a false police report and single counts of menacing and first-degree disorderly conduct, as well as an out-of-county warrant.
“It is possible Sprague has additional victims,” Miller said. If you or someone you know has been the target of Sprague’s alleged harassment, you’re asked to contact non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.
Jail records show Sprague is being held without bail on the out-of-county warrant. Court records show a history involving stalking allegations dating back several years.
Sprague was arraigned Wednesday on three sets of charges involving stalking, coercion, menacing and initiating a false police report. He's due back in court next Wednesday on an expected formal indictment.
A fourth set of charges were filed Friday of stalking, telephone harassment and menacing, and Sprague is due for arraignment on those charges next Friday.
District Attorney Steve Gunnels explained to NewsChannel 21 the separate charging documents, saying they are due to "separate dates of offense, so different criminal episodes, and each case has a different alleged victim. Joinder rules may or may not allow charging in the same charging instrument.
"We will likely move to join the charges later, then the court can determine whether that would be allowed based on a common scheme or plan, and/or crimes of the same or similar character," Gunnels added.
The court records show Sprague pleaded no contest to stalking in 2021, a Class A misdemeanor he was arrested on in late 2020 and was sentenced to 18 months probation along with the two days he'd spent in jail.
He pleaded no contest to another stalking charge in 2023 and charges of ID theft and unlawful dissemination of an intimate image were dismissed. He was sentenced to five months in jail and three years probation.
