La Pine man held on attempted murder charges

A La Pine man was arrested early Saturday on attempted murder, DUII and other charges, accused of pointing a loaded rifle at two men’s heads outside a La Pine bar, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies and an Oregon State Police trooper responded to the La Pine Inn at 51490 Highway 97 around 1:35 a.m. on a report of a man armed with a shotgun, said sheriff’s Lt. Chad Davis.

They arrived quickly and detained a suspect, John Kyle Gilpin, 64, without incident, Davis said, adding that Gilpin had been disarmed by other bar patrons before they arrived.

An investigation determined that Gilpin had been in a “minor dispute” with another man around 1 a.m. and left the bar alone, Davis said.

He returned a half-hour later and parked his SUV near the north entry door, the lieutenant said. Gilpin got out of his Jeep Cherokee with a .30-30 lever-action rifle and chambered a round, Davis said.

Two men standing near the door to the bar tried to talk Gilpin into putting the gun away, but “he pointed the rifle at both males’ heads at close range,” Davis said in a news release.

Gilpin then was subdued by a patron and disarmed, Davis said.

He was taken to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend and booked into the jail on a drunk driving charge and three counts each of attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon, recklessly endangering another and menacing. His bail totaled $272,500.

Anyone with more information on the case was urged to contact the sheriff’s office at (541) 693-6911.