SE Bend manhunt brings school lockout; fugitive caught

(Update: Three chainsaws recovered)

An extensive manhunt in southeast Bend Tuesday morning involving numerous officers, two K-9 teams and a police drone led to a lockout of nearby Silver Rail Elementary School and the eventual capture of a Salem man wanted in three states. He’s accused locally of a scam involving a fake bank account and the fraudulent purchase of three chainsaws he resold online.

Early Tuesday morning, Bend police got word that Jason David Goulet, 31, of Salem was at a home in the 61000 block of SE Brock Lane, Lt. Clint Burleigh said in a news release.

Officers learned he had a warrant for his arrest out of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for two counts of first-degree theft and one out of Wake County, North Carolina, for a parole violation. Officers also learned that Goulet was wanted (with no active arrest warrant) out of Thurston County, Washington, for second-degree assault, related to a domestic violence case.

Officers found Goulet’s 2012 Dodge pickup in the driveway of the house and conducted follow-up investigations while conducting surveillance at the home. Burleigh said police learned about that time that Goulet might have a gun.

Shortly before 10 a.m, officers saw Goulet get into his pickup and drive onto Parrell Road, prompting a short pursuit that was quickly terminated, Burleigh said. Officers found the pickup abandoned in the area of Lorenz and Stone Creek.

Based on the severity of the crimes Goulet was wanted for and the area in which Goulet fled, Silver Rail Elementary School was placed into a precautionary lockout, meaning exterior doors were locked. There was no direct threat to the school or students, the lieutenant said.

A Bureau of Land Management K9 Officer, Bend Police K-9 “Kim” and a Bend Police Department drone were deployed in the effort to find Goulet, as “officers saturated the neighborhood around Silver Rail Elementary” looking for him, Burleigh said.

A Bend police traffic officer spotted the fugitive in a small park next to the school and he was taken into custody without incident. Burleigh said he was not found to have a gun on him.

During their investigation police learned Goulet created a fake bank and bank account to buy three Stihl chainsaws from an area business, using a fraudulent cashier’s check for $4,000, Burleigh said. He then sold them on Bend’s Craigslist, making about $2,500.

“The cashier’s check used was very realistic in appearance and could easily be mistaken for a legitimate check,” Burleigh said in a news release.

The scam Goulet allegedly put together included creating a website for APX Commercial Bank. Goulet used a rerouted phone number so he could take calls for the “bank.” Burleigh said it’s not known if Goulet used the fake account and/or checks from that fake bank for any other fraudulent activity.

Burleigh had said police were seeking the public’s help in finding the three chainsaws, and said Wednesday all three had been recovered. He said the buyer called police and returned them.

Goulet was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and booked on charges including first-degree forgery, four counts of first-degree theft, computer crime, felony attempt to elude police, reckless driving and various traffic violations, with bail of $140,000. However, he was held without bail on the first-degree theft warrant out of Marion County and the ones from out of state.

Anyone with information regarding any activity with Goulet and/or APX Bank to call the Bend Police Department at 541-693-6911.