Bend transient arrested after string of crimes

A southeast Bend resident who awoke to find a stranger standing over his bed early Sunday chased him out of the house, but he stole the man’s car keys on the way, and then his car, police said.

He later stopped in southwest Bend and tried to enter another home, they said, but fled when confronted by the homeowner and was soon arrested after getting into another car.

Police said they later learned the suspect, David Andrew Latta, a 43-year-old transient, earlier had broken a window around 1:30 a.m. at the Walgreens at Northeast Third Street and Franklin Avenue and tried to break in, but was unsuccessful.

Police responded to the unidentified southeast Bend address shortly before 7 a.m. on a report of a burglary in progress, said Sgt. Tom Pine.

The adult male victim said he awoke to an unknown man standing over him as he lay in his bed. Pine said the man yelled at Latta to get out of his house, following him and seeing him get into his car, a Hyundai Elantra, and drive away. The victim then called 911 to report the crime and said his keys had been taken.

A short time later, in southwest Bend, another man called 911 dispatchers to report a man with the same description as Latta had recklessly parked a car, the Elantra, in his front lawn and was trying to get into his house, Pine said.

Latta ran when confronted by the homeowner, who said the intruder had gotten into another car in the neighborhood, a Subaru Legacy. But he was detained as he got out of that car by Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies who were in the area, Pine said.

Latta was taken to the Deschutes County Jail on charges of first-degree burglary and car theft, as well as second-degree trespass, unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree attempted burglary. He was being held on $61,000 bail.