Sisters teen charged in downtown Bend pot shop break-in

(Update: Sisters teen charged in marijuana dispensary burglary)

An 18-year-old Sisters resident was arrested on burglary and other charges Sunday, one day after he allegedly ripped the door of a downtown Bend marijuana dispensary off its hinges, only to enter and find that all of its products were kept locked up in a safe.

Lt. Clint Burleigh said Wednesday an officer’s review of the Higher Elevation Cannabis Dispensary’s surveillance images from early Saturday led to the arrest of Seth Patrick Johnson. He said Johnson agreed to meet with officers at Pilot Butte State Park, where he was taken into custody.

Johnson was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and booked on charges of second-degree burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief. He was released on his own recognizance less than an hour later, pending a June 7 court date jail officers said.

Dispensary owner Jordan Wellman told NewsChannel 21 he got a call from his security company early Saturday, reporting the break-in.

Wellman said the back door of his shop on Northwest Hill Street was completely ripped off its hinges, adding that it took the burglar about an hour to make it inside.

Fortunately, marijuana dispensaries are required by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to lock up their goods, so nothing was taken.

“Just a horrible situation,” Wellman said, “but, yeah, OLCC and the laws that they have kind of put in place, obviously it worked very well, as far as putting everything in a safe at night. So that’s great, that’s a huge plus.”

All that was left behind was some costly repairs — and images of the man caught on the dispensary’s security cameras when he broke in. He posted the images on Instagram so folks could help police find him.

Wellman also said he was just glad the burglar hit when the business was closed and everyone was safe.