Warm Springs woman charged in Redmond DUII crash

A 19-year-old Warm Springs woman was arrested on DUII, assault, drug possession and other charges Saturday after her minivan slammed into one of four vehicles stopped for a red light on Highway 97 in Redmond, causing a chain-reaction crash that injured herself and three others, one critically, police said.

Redmond officers responded around 10:18 a.m. to the reported multi-car crash in the southbound lanes of the highway (the Redmond Bypass) at SW Evergreen Avenue/Highway 126, said police Lt. Mike Kidwell.

An investigation found that Patricia Allen Jim was at the wheel of a blue 2003 Dodge Caravan heading south on the highway at about 55 mph, Kidwell said.

As she approached the intersection, she ran into the rear of the fourth vehicle stopped for a red light, with enough force that the occupants of a small pickup rear-ended in the crash had to be freed from the wreckage using the Jaws of Life, the lieutenant said.

Jim and three others were injured in the crash. Lori A. Martin, 48, was taken by ambulance to St. Charles-Bend with critical injuries, Kidwell said. Two others, Andrea Martin, 22, and Margaret Carlson, 59, were treated at St. Charles-Redmond, he added. No further information about the victims or their injuries were released.

Evidence of drunk driving and drug possession was found at the scene, Kidwell said. As a result, Jim was taken into custody after release from the hospital on charges of first- and third-degree assault, DUII, reckless driving, drug possession, reckless endangering and various minor traffic violations, he said.

Jim later was booked into the Deschutes County Jail in Bend, where she was being held on $137,500 bail on the charges Saturday night.

Redmond police were assisted in their investigation by Redmond fire crews, Oregon State Police troopers and ODOT, Kidwell said.

They also were helped at the crash scene by an off-duty Clackamas County sheriff’s deputy, Deschutes County 911 dispatchers and numerous citizens, along with occupants of the vehicles in the chain-reaction crash, he said, offering thanks to all who assisted.

Anyone with more information about the crash or the time period before it was urged to contact Redmond police through the non-emergency 911 dispatch line at (541) 693-6911.