Teen Party in Woods Broken Up; 2 Hurt Fleeing
A teen party in the woods west of Bend ? complete with a bonfire and, reportedly, alcohol ? went awry late Saturday night when it was broken up and the young people scattered ? two apparently hurt when they fell off a 20-foot cliff above Tumalo Creek in the darkness.
That turned the breakup of an MIP (minors in possession) party into a search and rescue operation that involved a rope rescue, took four or more hours to conclude and sent at least one teen to the hospital by ambulance, authorities said.
U.S. Forest Service law enforcement found the gathering off Forest Road 4609 near Shevlin Park around 11:30 p.m. Many of those involved ran into the woods in an attempt to avoid being caught, said Deschutes County sheriff?s Deputy Liam Klatt.
The number of teens at the party was unclear, but some who were unfamiliar with the rugged area ?didn?t realize there was a big cliff there? and fell off it, Klatt said.
That brought Bend Fire Department ambulances and county Sheriff?s Search and Rescue crews to the scene. Lighting gear, ropes and a stokes litter were used in the rescue effort.
The parents of teens at the party also were called, a familiar element of the troubling tradition of springtime teen parties in the woods.
Unconfirmed scanner reports indicated two teens were taken to the hospital, but Bend fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe could not provide details due to federal patient privacy laws. Howe did say the fire medics were called out around 11:30 p.m. and left the scene around 1 a.m.
Klatt said SAR crews spent several hours checking other steep areas in the vicinity, to make sure that none of the other teens who ran away had been injured. Scanner reports indicated two missing teens were found walking along Skyliners Road.
?We weren?t searching for intoxicated kids,? only following footprints and checking ?high-risk areas? for any who might have gotten hurt, lost or stuck, Klatt said, describing the scene as ?kind of hectic? and ?chaos.?
?We?re just thankful we didn?t find anybody else out there or injured further down,? he added.
