Stolen pickup driver flees police in Redmond; passenger caught
Police are looking for the driver of a stolen pickup who refused to pull over on a traffic stop and led police on a pursuit in Redmond late Friday night, eventually crashing and running. A passenger who also ran was found by Deschutes County sheriff’s police dog Zeus and arrested on car theft and other charges.
Shortly before 11 p.m., a sheriff’s deputy initiated a traffic stop on a white 1994 Ford Ranger pickup with a black canopy for a minor violation near Northwest 22 nd Street and Maple Avenue in Redmond, deputies said.
As the deputy overtook the pickup, the driver sped up and a pursuit ensued. The driver headed north on Northwest Way, then west on Montgomery Drive, heading out onto unimproved private property, where it crashed. The driver and passenger ran away.
The deputy on scene checked and learned the pickup previously was reported stolen in Redmond.
The passenger, Katelyn Wanda Kimler, 25, of Prineville, was found by the county K-9 and arrested, lodged at the Bend jail on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, second-degree criminal trespass and fleeing-eluding on foot. Her bail totaled $16,000, jail records showed.
The driver was not found and the case remains under investigation, deputies said. Oregon State Police, U.S. Forest Service law enforcement and Redmond police assisted in the incident.
