Prineville woman re-arrested in up to 10 recent burglaries

Prineville police made a traffic stop Thursday night and arrested two residents, including a 21-year-old woman arrested earlier this fall on burglary and theft charges, accused of taking items from homes she entered by asking to use the bathroom. Police said it’s believed she may have committed up to 10 more burglaries in her brief time out of jail.

Around Nov. 21 — less than a month after Alysa Bennight’s earlier arrest — Prineville police began receiving a number of home-entry theft and burglary cases in or around the southeast area of town, police Capt. Larry Seymour said. Investigators linked the home-invasion thefts to Bennight, he added.

Seymour told NewsChannel 21 that Bennight, 21, had stolen a pickup truck at a home in southeast Prineville and ditched it Thursday on Lamonta Road.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police stopped another vehicle on Main Street near Second Street and arrested Bennight and Dustin Chapman, 27, also of Prineville.

Chapman was arrested on four felony probation warrants and a felony probable cause warrant in a new case, the captain said. Chapman may be charged in coming weeks in cases pending with the police department.

Bennight was arrested on three felony probation violation warrants and numerous new charges, including four counts of third-degree theft, three counts of first-degree burglary (illegal entry into a residence) and single counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle (a stolen truck), unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, criminal trespass and methamphetamine possession (a misdemeanor).

Seymour said there are at least four other burglary and theft cases police believe involve Bennight and that charges are likely within the next week or two.

“We served search warrants on Bennight’s property and recovered what we believe to be some reported and some unreported stolen property,” Seymour said in a news release. “We are currently investigating some burglaries by Bennight that may have (gone) unreported, based on evidence seized and statements.”

The captain said police also recovered what they believe to be an unreported stolen firearm, but are still looking for two others.

Police will be working over the next week to close more of the pending cases and identify owners of some of the recovered property.

Seymour said the Crook County and Deschutes county sheriff’s offices are assisting Prineville police in the investigation.

He said Chapman could face burglary and theft charges in coming weeks.

Anyone in Prineville with missing property who believes they were a theft or burglary victim is asked to contact Sgt. Troy Wiles at 541-323-7141 or Sgt. James Peterson at 541-447-8336.

“Chief Cummins and I want to send a special thanks to both Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson’s team and Crook County Sheriff John Gautney’s team for assisting in this investigation,” Seymour wrote. “The joint investigation between the three departments was a true showing of how the tri-county area law enforcement teams work together.”