Bend pair arrested after chase, manhunt

A Bend man who fled a traffic stop for suspected DUII on the south end of town Saturday night triggered a brief pursuit, then a manhunt, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. They said citizen tips helped officers find the armed man and a female passenger hiding in the backyard of an unoccupied home they allegedly tried to break into.

Shortly before 8 p.m., a sheriff’s deputy tried to stop a 2007 Toyota 4Runner SUV near Brookswood Boulevard and Buck Canyon Road on suspicion of DUII, said Lieutenant Ty Rupert.

SUV driver Andrew Curtis Folk, 31, failed to pull over and instead sped away, leading to a pursuit for about a half-mile, Rupert said. The chase was discontinued by the on-duty supervisor due to the risk to the public, he added.

A sheriff’s office supervisor later spotted the Toyota parked in the driveway of a home on Borden Drive in southeast Bend, the lieutenant said. He said the two occupants had run and were believed to be in the area.

Other deputies and Bend Police officers established a perimeter and police K-9 Haras was used in an attempt to track the suspects.

Rupert said Folk was believed to be armed with a handgun when he left the SUV, Rupert said.

A citizen reported seeing the suspects hiding in the area. After an extensive search, Rupert said, the driver and his passenger, Michele Lee Wade, 51, were found hiding in the backyard of a home at 61028 Borden Drive. The residents were not home at the time, Rupert said.

The pair were taken into custody after allegedly trying to break into the back of the home through a window, Rupert said.

A 9mm semiautomatic handgun was recovered at the time of the arrest, he added.

The man and woman were booked into the county jail in Bend. Folk was held on $56,000 bail, facing charges of first-degree attempted burglary, attempt to elude a police officer, DUII, criminal trespass, unlawful use of a weapon and reckless endangering. Wade was held on $20,000 bail, charged with first-degree attempted burglary and criminal trespass.

Rupert said the sheriff’s office “would like to thank citizens in the area for their assistance during this incident.”

A check of Folk’s online court records found several previous arrests in Jackson and Deschutes County this year on charges including DUII, reckless endangering and driving with a suspended license.

Folk was indicted Sept. 15 in a June 10 incident on charges of fleeing police, reckless driving and reckless endangering and driving with a suspended or revoked license. His plea hearing in that case was scheduled for Dec. 7.

A check of Wade’s record found no previous criminal charges.