Redmond man charged in Christmas tree lot hit-and-run

A Grinch in Redmond nearly ruined Christmas for one Central Oregon man, but he said Friday he’s not giving up and still will be selling Christmas trees, despite an alleged DUII driver’s crash into his tree lot.

Joshua Friend sells Christmas trees to make some extra money for his family, but now he’s out more than a $1,000 after a man rammed through his Christmas tree lot.

Redmond police Lt. Curtis Chambers told NewsChannel 21, police responded to the Safeway parking lot just before 10 p.m. Thursday night.

Chambers said Joseph Bier, 20, Redmond, drove his pickup truck through the Christmas tree lot, damaging several trees and the shed that was used by Friend.

Police found Bier’s truck at the Walmart parking lot at 3 a.m. and contacted Bier at his home, Chambers said Bier was under the influence of alcohol and received a citation for being in possession of alcohol.

Bier was booked and released from the Deschutes County Jail and faces several charges, including criminal mischief.

Friend told NewsChannel 21 he’s out of money, but he’s still going to keep selling Christmas trees so families can enjoy their holiday.

“I was going to give up and just take my losses and go home,” he said. “It’s a lot of work to do this in the cold. Something like this is not easy. So something like this, I’ve got to start over.”

But he was able to get some more trees that he hopes he can sell this weekend. Friend will be selling the trees every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.