La Pine man enters plea in attempted kidnap case

A La Pine man pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted kidnapping charges Tuesday afternoon as he waits to be arraigned on new charges that include numerous counts of mail theft.

Dennis Wayne Anderson Jr., 32, is accused of stealing hundreds of pieces of mail and Christmas packages on Lava Drive in La Pine.

A total of 178 pieces of mail were recovered during the investigation, Hummel said.

Six victims have been identified in the mail theft, and there could be more victims involved as the investigation is still ongoing.

Harvey Richardson has been living on Lava Drive for about eight years and is one of those victims.

Richardson said he has heard people stealing mail before, and usually they throw it on the ground if it doesn’t have any cash value.

He said he had no clue someone had taken his mail, via package slips delivered to his mailbox for Richardson to pick up some Christmas gifts he ordered online, until investigators came knocking on his door.

Richardson said investigators took his slips into evidence but were able to get his packages from the post office.

District Attorney John Hummel said prosecutors will soon present this case to a Deschutes County grand jury.

Anderson will be arraigned for the new mail theft charges on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Anderson, arrested a week ago on charges he tried to kidnap a 2-year-old boy from the Bend Wal-Mart, had his initial court appearance Monday on new mail theft and drug charges, accused of stealing hundreds of pieces of mail and Christmas packages in southern Deschutes County.

“The arrest of Anderson was due to diligent police work by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office,” .Hummel said in a news release.

Last Thursday, a sheriff’s patrol deputy performed a routine check on a motorist’s license plate and learned the car’s new owner had not registered the car within 30 days, as required by law, the DA said.

The deputy then initiated a traffic stop. which “produced evidence that caused the deputy to be suspicious about Anderson, who was not an occupant of the car,” Hummel said.

The deputy conveyed this information to sheriff’s detectives, who asked a judge for a search warrant for Anderson’s house. A subsequent search revealed evidence that led to the new charges, Hummel said.

Anderson is lodged in the Deschutes County Jail held on $110,000 bail on the charges of second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree burglary, second-degree theft, methamphetamine possession and illegal marijuana manufacture – and $10,000 on each of the numerous charges of mail theft or receipt of stolen mail..

“The sanctity of the Unites States mail system is of paramount importance to the proper functioning of our society,” Hummel said. “All thefts are wrong, but theft of mail is particularly egregious, as it is a lifeline for many people – particularly the elderly and those who live in isolated communities. If Mr. Anderson’s guilt is proven, the state will seek a sentence that reflects the severity of his crimes.”

Hummel also confirmed Monday to NewsChannel 21 that Anderson did not know the child he was accused of trying to abduct, until the boy’s mother noticed he had wandered off and called for him