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Crime And Courts

Man admits holdup of Wildhorse Resort and Casino; demanded $1 million, threatened to ‘bathe everyone in blood’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Umatilla County man who pulled a gun on a casino cashier, demanded $1 million and threatened to “bathe everyone in blood” pleaded guilty Tuesday to the 2022 armed robbery of the Wildhorse Resort and Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, federal prosecutors said. Javier Francisco Vigil, 54, pleaded guilty to

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Caleb Cegers trial

Murder or self-defense? A jury will now decide, as Caleb Cegers goes on trial in 2023 downtown Bend shooting

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A prosecutor and defense attorney painted sharply differing views Wednesday of the events that led a 20-year-old Bend man to fatally shoot a 33-year-old Redmond man after a 2023 altercation in a downtown Bend bar.  Both sides provided jurors with their first look at security and cellphone videos during opening statements Wednesday in the murder trial of Caleb Joseph Cegers, now 22, accused of the August 10, 2023 killing of Taylor

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Bend-La Pine driver arrested, accused of drinking before student bus route

(Update: adding statement from Bend La-Pine Schools and info about them notifying the 18 families the day after it happened). BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) โ€” A Bend-La Pine Schools bus driver is accused of driving under the influence after transporting elementary students last week, according to Bend Police. Police say 67-year-old Martha Ann Gerlicher of Bend

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Oregon Department of Corrections

Oregon Department of Corrections to issue computer tablets to all inmates, move to digitally scanned email

(Update: Adding info on Deschutes County Jail’s inmate tablets) SALEM,. Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Corrections told inmates’ families and friends on Monday that at all inmates are going to receive a state-issued computer tablet, on which they can take lessons, watch movies, play games or read their emails – which from now

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Mail-in ballots MGN

Oregon attorney general, 22 other states sue over President Trump’s executive order to limit vote-by-mail

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and one governor on Friday to file a lawsuit against President Trump’s March 31 executive order. The legal challenge seeks to block the order, which would give the federal government authority to determine which citizens receive mail-in ballots.

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Bend-area man gets 25-year sentence in 2020 killing of Bend couple; nephew awaits murder trial

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend-area man charged along with his nephew with murder and conspiracy in the 2020 deaths of a couple at their northeast Bend home has pleaded guilty to reduced manslaughter charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.  Kenneth Wayne Atkinson, now 61, and his nephew, Nathan Shane Detroit, now 35, were arrested on murder and conspiracy charges in October of 2021,

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Phishing

Scam Alert: Deschutes County warns residents to watch out for official-looking email phishing attempts

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Deschutes County reminded community members Thursday to watch out for email scams that try to steal personal or financial information. Some scams may appear to come from county email accounts and reference real permit numbers or application details. These messages may request urgent payment, ask for bank account or Social Security

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Bend Police Officer Zachary Childers

There’s Good News: Bend Police Department and Officer Zachary Childers receive top Oregon DUII enforcement honors

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bend Police Department announced Thursday that it’sย been awarded the 2025 Enforcement Agency of the Year by the Oregon DUII Multi-Disciplinary Training Task Force.ย ย  In addition,ย Bend Policeย Officer Zachary Childersย was named the 2025 DUII Officer of the Year. Officer Childers has been a Bend officer since 2017 and in law enforcement for

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Car theft MGN

Auto thefts plummet in Oregon and across the U.S.; there’s still simple steps you can take to avoid being a victim

PORTLAND,ย Ore. (KTVZ) โ€“ย New data from theย National Insurance Crime Bureauย shows a sharp drop in vehicle thefts across Oregon and nationwide, marking a continued downward trend in recent years.ย  According to NICBโ€™s 2025ย Vehicle Thefts Trendsย report, auto thefts across the U.S. fell again by 23 percent from 2024 to 2025, following a 17 percent decrease the previous year.ย 

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Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office warns of jury duty scam targeting Central Oregon residents

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is investigating reports of a telephone scam targeting Central Oregon residents. Scammers are claiming to be deputies and threatening victims with arrest for allegedly missing jury duty. According to a local viewer that KTVZ News spoke to today, an unknown caller claimed a payment of up

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President Trump Supreme Court hearing

Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship

By Lawrence Hurley, NBC News WASHINGTON (NBC News) โ€” Tackling one of President Donald Trump’s most provocative policies, members of the Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed skepticism about the lawfulness of his proposal to limit the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil. Announced on the first day of Trumpโ€™s second

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Central Oregon Spring Break Blitz results in 13 DUII arrests, no fatal crashes

DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) Central Oregon law enforcement agencies reported no fatal or serious-injury crashes during a three-day safety enforcement period that concluded Friday, March 27. The operation, known as the Spring Break Blitz, resulted in 13 arrests for driving under the influence of intoxicants and more than 550 traffic stops. The coordinated effort was

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Judge Emerson Sarah Session sentencing

Sunriver-area woman, parents sentenced in severe abuse case; judge tells boy: ‘I’m sorry’

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After emotional statements by a now-11-year-old boy and the Sunriver-area woman accused of severely abusing and neglecting him, a Deschutes County judge sentenced Sarah Session on Tuesday to more than 17 years in prison. Her parents also now face prison and jail time. But first, Circuit Judge Alison Emerson, who convicted Session and her parentsย last monthย after a three-week trial,ย toldย herย small,

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