DCSO K-9 nabs suspect hiding in Redmond canal

It took the bite of Deschutes County sheriff’s K-9 Duco to subdue and arrest a 34-year-old Bend motorcyclist who fled an attempted traffic stop in Redmond at over 100 mph Monday night, then ran and hid in a running irrigation canal, deputies said.

Around 10:20 p.m., a deputy saw and tried to pull over a motorcycle heading south on Highway 97 near Odem Medo Avenue “at a very high rate of speed,” said Sgt. Aaron Harding.

The rider, identified as Jason Frederick Piper, refused to pull over and continued south, then west on Southwest Quarry Avenue, Harding said. Late-night traffic was light at the time, Sgt. Vance Lawrence noted.

Piper eventually stopped at the Pleasant Ridge Community Hall, at Quarry Avenue and South Canal Boulevard, then ran and was not near the motorcycle when the deputy arrived, Harding said.

More deputies and a Redmond police sergeant responded and set up a search perimeter while Deputy Doug Jackson and his dog Duco were called in to start a track.

Duco found Piper hiding “probably half or two-thirds in the canal, hiding in the brush along the edge,” Lawrence said.

Piper, who resisted arrest and was not complying with instructions, was bitten by the dog and apprehended, deputies said. He was treated for a minor injury and lodged at the county jail.

Piper later was released on his own recognizance and faces felony and misdemeanor charges of attempt to elude, as well as reckless driving, resisting arrest and interfering with a police animal.