Prineville man caught, jailed in Redmond car chase

Redmond police thanked the public Thursday for tips that helped lead to the arrest of a Prineville man who officers say refused to pull over for police two weeks ago, crashed a friend’s car and fled. The car was returned to its owner – and the man was arrested earlier this week, driving the same car, officers said.

The driver of a green 1995 Eagle Talon refused to pull over for a traffic stop early on Monday, March 23 due to a violation for an improper left turn near Southwest Deschutes Avenue and Rimrock Way, officers said.

The driver headed east out of the city at speeds of up to about 80 mph into the area of Northeast 17 th Street and Negus Way, where it slid off the road and into a power pole’s guy wire, said Sgt. Bob Duff.

The driver ran, and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and OSP troopers helped set up a search perimeter. Redmond K-9 “Breck” and his partner tried to track the suspect, without success. The public was asked for any information on who owned the car.

Eventually, the owner was found and contacted, Chambers said, and the car returned to the owner. Meanwhile, evidence recovered from the car, along with information from the public, led to identifying Kylian allen Beitz, 19, of Prineville, as a suspect.

Around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, an officer spotted someone matching Beitz’s description, again at the wheel of the Eagle Talon, in the 200 block of Northeast O’Neil Highway, said Sgt. Curtis Chambers.

This time, the driver stopped, but Beitz allegedly gave the officer a false name, Chambers said. His true identity was confirmed and he was arrested.

Beitz was taken to the Deschutes County Jail, held without bail on two out-of-county warrants and a probation violation. He’s facing felony and misdemeanor charges of attempting to elude a police officer, along with reckless driving, felon in possession of a firearm, methamphetamine possession and giving false information to a police officer.

A passenger in the car at the time, Charlene Baird, 24, also of Prineville, also was arrested on a probation violation charge.

Beitz is not charged with car theft, as he had permission from his friend/acquaintance to drive the car both times, Chambers added.

“The Redmond Police Department wishes to thank everyone who called or provided information regarding this investigation,” Chambers said in a news release. “With all of us working together, we can keep Redmond a safe place to live.”