Two Prineville homes raided in fugitive manhunt

Police and the Central Oregon SWAT team spent more than two hours searching two northeast Prineville homes for an armed and wanted man Wednesday afternoon, but did not find him.

Norm Thompson watched the events unfold from his front yard.

“I asked him what’s happening, and he said, ‘We are looking for a criminal in here’ — and about that time, I (saw) these SWAT guys show up,” Thompson said.

While the man has threatened to shoot police, officers said they have no indication he “presents an exceptional threat to the general public.”

Capt. Michael Boyd declined to disclose the man’s name or other details as the investigation continues.

Around 12:30 p.m., Prineville police and Crook County sheriff’s deputies went to a home in the 500 block of NE Lookout Avenue to find a wanted subject, said police Capt. Michael Boyd, operations commander.

Boyd said the man is wanted for numerous charges.

“It’s scary for us,” Thompson said. “We went inside when we (saw) SWAT. You don’t know if somebody is going to be shooting or not.”

The captain said in a news release, “The involved agencies had information that this subject was armed and had made threats to use the firearm against law enforcement.”

As a precaution, the home was searched with the help of the Central Oregon Emergency Response (CERT) Team, Boyd said.

Police then searched another home nearby after getting some information that the wanted man might be there, but that search also turned up empty, he said.

The search operation, which ended around 2:45 p.m., required a temporary closure of a stretch of NE Lookout Avenue, Boyd said.

“They went into the house, came out, and apparently they didn’t find anybody,” Thompson said.