Suspect in thefts, burglaries arrested after NE Bend guns-drawn traffic stop
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A report of a burglary in progress at a northeast Bend home led to a guns-drawn traffic stop Monday morning, the arrest of a fleeing suspect and the recovery of numerous items reported stolen in thefts and burglaries dating back to last year, police said.
Police received word from 911 dispatchers around 10:30 a.m. of a reported burglary in progress in the 1800 block of Northeast Purcell Boulevard, Lt. Clint Burleigh said. A property manager called to report four unknown people inside the home.
Officers arrived and saw a white van leaving with two people who had been inside the home, Burleigh said.
The officers made a “high-risk” stop on the van, and a passenger, a 24-year-old Bend man, ran from the van and up a nearby hill to a residential area on Northeast Cliff Drive. Officers found the man on a home’s property and took him into custody without further incident, Burleigh said.
Investigating officers found several stolen items in the van and on the man, linking him to at least six theft or burglary reports dating back to last year, the lieutenant said.
Officers also learned the man had been involved in a case of criminal mischief earlier Monday morning, Burleigh said the man and another person used an “airsoft”-style gun to cause subsntial damage to a vehicle parked in the 1200 block of Northeast Dempsey Drive.
Two of the theft and burglary cases were reported through the Bend Police online reporting system, Burleigh said. Because the community members were detailed in describing what was stolen, officers were able to recover the property.
Burleigh said the stolen, recovered items included numerous tools, clothing, backpacks, electronic devices and cash. Not all of the property has been tied to an outstanding case, he said, and officers are working to identify the property’s owners.
The suspect was lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on three counts of possession of stolen property, first- and second-degree burglary, second-degree theft, unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, first-degree criminal mischief and a probation violation warrant for earlier theft and burglary charges.
Others may be charged in the ongoing investigation, Burleigh said.
"Bend Police would like to remind our community members to mark your valuables with identifying marks, so they are easily identified if stolen," Burleigh said in a news release. " If you have an instance that could be reported via our online reporting platform, please remember to describe any damage or stolen property thoroughly to increase the chance it is recovered. You can find the Bend Police Department’s On-Line Reporting at www.bendoregon.gov, specifically at the Bend Police Department web page.
