Three teens arrested in Bend 7-Eleven armed robbery

Thanks to community tips and help from businesses, three south Deschutes County teens – two 19 and one 16 – have been arrested in last week’s armed robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in southeast Bend, police said Thursday.

Two men, one with a shotgun, entered the store at 1185 SE Third Street around 3:45 a.m. on Dec. 15, leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash, said police Lt. Clint Burleigh.

Since then, police identified three suspects: Joseph “Joey” Powell and Alec Jones, both 19, and a 16-year-old, Burleigh said.

Around 7 p.m. Wednesday, Bend police detectives executed a search warrant at Powell’s home in the 5500 block of Swan Road. During the raid, several pieces of evidence from the robbery were located.

The raid led to the location of Powell, and he was arrested by detectives around 8:40 p.m. in the 500 block of Southeast Centennial Avenue in Bend, Burleigh said. Powell was in possession of brass knuckles and will face a charge of possessing a concealed weapon, the lieutenant added.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, detectives located the 16-year-old at a home in the 5200 block of Golden Astor Road in La Pine, taking him into custody without incident. Burleigh said more evidence of the robbery was found at the home where the teen was staying.

Around 12:45 p.m., detectives found Jones at a home in the 56000 block of Meteor Drive; he also was arrested without incident. A camouflage sot used in the robbery was recovered there, Burleigh said.

The two 19-year-olds were booked into the Deschutes County Jail in Bend on several charges, including first-degree robbery. Powell’s initial bail was $100,000; Jones was still undergoing booking Thursday evening.

The 16-year-old was held at the county Juvenile Detention Facility on several charges, including first-degree robbery.

Burleigh said, “The investigation was aided by tips from the community and overwhelming positive support from neighboring businesses of the 7-Eleven and businesses from the south Deschutes County area. The Bend Police Department would like to thank the public for their continued support and cooperation during all of our investigations. We are able to solve these crimes against our community because of your help.”

DA John Hummel said police “performed a fantastic investigation in the 7-Eleven case,” as well as an arrest in a Market of Choice robbery Wednesday night.

“In this holiday season, let’s give thanks for the fact that we live in the community with the best law enforcement officers in the country,” Hummel said.