Arrested Bend Theft Suspects’ Home Burglarized

A strange case of two alleged Bend thieves who were arrested, and then police make a return trip to their home later in the day as it’s being robbed by two different men.

Theinitial case arose Nov. 8, when a 35-year-old Bendman reported someone had illegally entered the car, parked at his home, and stole a laptop computer and various fishing, hiking, rain gear and skateboard equipment, said Bend police Lt. Ben Gregory.

Investigators identified Zachary William Clark-Williams, 18, and James Westover Grey, 19, as suspects in that case.

On Wednesday, around 11:30 a.m., police served a search warrant at 523 NE Sixth St., the two men’s home, and recovered some of the stolen items, also seizing repackaged marijuana, Gregory said.

Clark-Williams and Grey were lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on charges of first-degree theft, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and drug manufacture within 1,000 feet of a school, the lieutenant said. Both men remained jailed Thursday morning on $27,500 bail, a jail officer said.

Police were at the Sixth Street home for a few hours, very visible to everyone.

Then, later that around 5:20 p.m. that same day,”we received a 911 call of a burglary in progress at the same address we had just executed a search warrant 5 1/2 hours earlier,” saidLt. Ken Mannix.

Police returned to the home and determined the two suspects had illegally entered the residence and taken property belonging to Clark-Williams and Grey, Gregory said.

But they didn’t go far, just two homes down, at 571 NE Franklin Ave.,where 27-year-old Paul Lewis, a transient,and 18-year-old Benjamin Watson, of southeast Bend,were hanging out and subsequently arrested for walking the stolen items down the street.

The theory is, the two saw the police activity earlier and knew their neighbors weren’t home, but rather in jail…a strange crime of opportunity that didn’t pay off.

“It’s not common, certainly not a normal thing,” Mannix said of the odd string of events. “But then again, most of what we encounter (as police) isn’t normal.”

Residents tell NewsChannel 21 their neighborhood is changing. Police sirens are getting more common.

They just hope the rifle and repackaged marijuana cops say they found don’t get too close to the Bend High students who walk by there all day long.

The residents of the home on Franklin Avenue were found to not be involved in the crime, Gregory said. Watson and Lewis were visiting that home when they allegedly burglarized the other house.

Watson and Lewis also were taken to the county jail on charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree theft and felon in possession of a firearm. Both were being held Thursday without bail – Lewis on one probation violation charge, Watson on two, a jail officer said.