La Pine stabbing suspect arrested after standoff
An hour-long standoff Monday at a La Pine home ended with the surrender of a suspect in the Sunday afternoon stabbing of a La Pine man who was critically wounded, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Deke DeMars said deputies, assisted by Oregon State Police, were called around 2 p.m. Sunday to the La Pine Trailer Park at 51386 Huntington Road on a report of a man stabbed with a knife.
Deputies learned Kurt Alan Kelso, 56, of La Pine, had stabbed Heath Mathew Boyer, 35, “for an unknown reason,” DeMars said.
Boyer was stabbed once in the chest and was treated at the scene by La Pine Fire medics, then flown by AirLink helicopter to St. Charles Bend. Sheriff’s Capt. Erik Utter said the victim was stabbed once in the chest and was in critical condition.
Around 8 a.m. Monday, dispatchers got a call from Monte Hamilton, a resident on Skidgel Road in La Pine, who said Kelso was at his house, looking for a place to hide.
Hamilton said he woke up to his life partner, alerting him to the situation involving Kelso, an acquaintance of the couple.
“She ran into the bedroom, shaking me and waking me up, freaking out saying: “He’s here! He’s here! Kurt’s here!” Hamilton said. “I told her, ‘Grab the phone, go out back and dial 911! I will keep him occupied.’ I was just acting cool, like I was his buddy.”
Hamilton said he tried to distract Kelso while authorities were on the way.
Once on scene, deputies and troopers called in the county’s Special Operations Team and set up a perimeter around the property shortly after arriving.
Hamilton and his life partner made it out of the house quickly, and authorities continued to communicate with Kelso by cellphone.
“We had a cellphone connection with him, and we were able to negotiate with him to come and surrender himself to law enforcement without incident,” Utter said.
Kelso was booked into the county jail in Bend on charges of attempted murder, unlawful use of weapon, second-degree assault and menacing. He was held on $315,000 bail.
