NE Bend burglary suspect eludes police manhunt

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, including a K-9 unit, and Bend police searched an area just north of town Sunday morning but were unable to find a burglary suspect who ran away when he was confronted by homeowners.

Deputies were dispatched around 8 a.m. to an address in the 63000 block of NE Anika Lane on a report of a burglary in progress, said Lt. Chad Davis.

The man confronted by the homeowners in their laundry room left on foot, heading toward the Bend city limits, Davis said.

A sheriff’s K-9 team responded to help deputies and police search the area near Yeoman Road and Desert Sage Street for the suspect, but he was not found.

The suspect was described as a white male adult, about 20 years old, 6-feet-1 inches tall with a thin build and light brown hair, Davis said. He last was seen wearing a dark baseball cap, dark-colored baggy jeans, a black T-shirt and black high top-style shoes.

“At this time, there is no reason to believe that the public is in any danger,” Davis said in a news release. He told NewsChannel 21 no weapon was displayed and no injuries occurred.

Davis told NewsChannel 21 the homeowners said the intruder appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was “interrupted before he could take anything.”

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

Davis said the sheriff’s office encourages homeowners to secure their homes by locking outside doors and to use exterior lights “to make their homes a harder target.”