Two suspects arrested in Culver-area theft, burglary; homeowner says man pointed gun, fled

CULVER, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Warm Springs man and a Madras woman were stopped and arrested on several charges Wednesday night after a homeowner northwest of Culver found them stealing items on his property and allegedly was threatened with a gun before they fled, Jefferson County Sheriff Marc Heckathorn said.

Dispatchers contacted deputies around 8:15 p.m. to advise that a homeowner off Feather Drive had called to say he found a man and woman stealing his property and was threatened by a firearm.

“The homeowner said he was surprised to find someone on his property and was with his family,” Heckathorn wrote. The homeowner tried to talk to the pair when the man pointed a gun and both fled in a Jeep.

Heckathorn said the homeowner “provided excellent descriptions of the suspects (and) their vehicle,” and reported they were headed north on Feather Drive.

Heckathorn said he was in Metolius at the time of the call and found the Jeep heading east on Eureka Lane. The sheriff said he and a Madras police officer conducted a high-risk (guns drawn) traffic stop on the south end of Metolius, and two other deputies arrived to help detain the pair.

No gun was found at the location, Heckathorn said, but deputies later checked the suspects’ path and found a loaded 9 mm handgun along the road.

Both suspects were jailed, with the 37-year-old Warm Springs man facing first-degree charges of theft, robbery and burglary, along with menacing and unlawful use of a weapon. The 24-year-old Madras woman was held on first-degree theft and burglary charges.

“Thankfully, the event didn’t result in any injuries or in tragedy,” Heckathorn wrote, adding that the sheriff’s office “would like to thank the homeowner for his quick actions and thinking during a dangerous encounter.”