Bend man arrested in rape, baseball bat attack

A 22-year-old Bend man was arrested on rape, assault and other charges Thursday night, accused of sexually assaulting one woman and attacking her and another woman with a baseball bat, police said.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers got a call around 9:45 p.m. and could hear a fight taking place in the background, said Lt. Clint Burleigh. Dispatch used GPS coordinates from the cellphone call to determine the location, at Northeast High Desert Court and High Desert Lane.

A woman was able to start talking with the dispatcher and reported she and another woman had been assaulted by a man with a baseball bat who had then driven away, Burleigh said.

Before officers arrived, the suspect, identified as Jose Escobedo Preciado, returned to look for his cellphone and left again when he heard police sirens approaching, the lieutenant said.

Police and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies arrived and called for Bend Fire Department medics to care for the women, who were taken to St. Charles Bend for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Within 10 minutes of the call, a Bend officer located the suspect’s red Chrysler in the area and he was taken into custody without incident and taken to the Bend police headquarters.

Burleigh said an investigation found the two women had not been acquainted with Escobedo Preciado before Thursday, when they met through a mutual friend and spent part of the day together with friends.

After the group consumed alcohol, Escobedo Preciado to the area of High Desert Court and Lane, where he allegedly sexually assaulted one of the women as the other was asleep in the back seat.

The sleeping woman awoke to the assault taking place and an altercation ensued, Burleigh said. During that time, Escobedo Preciado was unable to find his keys and demanded the women return them. He then retrieved a baseball bat from his car and the altercation resumed.

Escobedo was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on charges of first-degree rape, strangulation, first-degree sexual abuse, menacing, DUII, fourth-degree assault and two counts each of second-degree assault, reckless endangering and unlawful use of/carrying a weapon. He remained held Friday in lieu of $295,000 bail.

During the initial response to the scene by Bend police, an officer was involved in a “minor crash” on Empire Avenue near the Bend Parkway, Burleigh said. No injuries resulted, he said, and both the police and civilian vehicles were able to drive away from the scene.