Redmond man on trial in abuse case dies in motel room

A former Madras state prison counselor on trial in Bend on sex abuse charges died in his Bend motel room early Wednesday morning, the day closing arguments were scheduled in his week-long jury trial.

Police responded around 3:30 a.m. to a medical call at the Comfort Inn on Northeast 27 th Street, said Bend police Lt. Nick Parker.

They arrived to find Jon Michael Yeakey II, 44, of Redmond, unconscious and not breathing, Parker said.

Officers tried to resuscitate Yeakey, without success. Bend Fire Department medics also responded to assist.

Parker said the death investigation is ongoing and would not divulge further details about the incident.

Yeakey, who worked at the Deer Ridge correctional Institute, had been on trial for the past week in Deschutes County Circuit Court on charges of attempted rape, attempted sodomy, second- and third-degree sexual abuse, using a child in a display of sexual conduct and encouraging child sex abuse.

He was accused of abusing a female relative in 2013, when she was 15, and a 16-year-old girl he met while escorting another family member to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

A prosecutor said he was consumed by fantasies and tried to pursue sex with real girls, but a defense lawyer called it absurd to believe his text messages were more than fantasies.

As jury selection got under way, defense lawyers said Yeakey would not take the witness stand during his trial, asserting his constitutional right to remain silent.