Angry Bend motel guest arrested after chase

An upset Bend motel guest allegedly destroyed the motel’s phone operator board, then led police on a chase Wednesday night. Officers said he crashed his pickup into a parked SUV by a South Third Street pub and ran but was caught with the help of a police dog.

Officers were dispatched around 9:40 p.m. to a reported upset customer at the Econolodge at 437 NE Third Street, said Sgt. Dan Ritchie.

The responding officer learned that a transient, Anthony James Garceau, 48, was staying at the motel and became upset with the staff, demanding his money back, Ritchie said.

Garceau was said to be demanding and aggressive toward the clerk – and when the clerk told Garceau she was calling police, he allegedly destroyed the motel’s phone operator board, then left in a Toyota Tundra.

Around 10:40 p.m., the officer spotted Garceau’s pickup in the area of Brookswood Boulevard and Powers Road, Ritchie said. He refused to stop and continued south on Brookswood, heading to the Bend Parkway and hitting speeds up to 70 mph.

Garceau turned off the parkway east on Pinebrook Boulevard and went through the Third Street intersection, Ritchie said. He struck an unoccupied parked SUV in the Southside Pub parking lot, where he got out and ran.

Garceau was captured by officers, with the assistance of police K-9 Zlatan, in the area of SE Hamilton Lane and Roats Road.

Ritchie said the man was evaluated at the scene by Bend Fire medics for a minor injury he sustained going over a wire fence.

Garceau was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and lodged on charges of first-degree criminal mischief, menacing, felony attempt to elude in a vehicle, misdemeanor attempt to elude on foot, interfering with making a police report, reckless driving, hit-and-run with property damage, interfering with a police officer and outstanding warrants out of Lincoln County. His bail totaled $100,000.