Bend boy who hid from police in trash can caught (twice)

A Bend teen boy who hid from police in a garbage can for a half-hour last weekend – a scene caught on home surveillance video that went viral on YouTube – was caught by police a short time later and is one of four cited in a pair of thefts from the Bend Walmart this month, police said Tuesday.

Police put out a news release Tuesday about the two thefts after the video drew wide attention and more than 1 million views on YouTube.

Three juveniles were reported as suspects in the first theft, on July 5, Lt. Juli McConkey said. Officers were able to identify some of the boys from video surveillance, but they had not been located, with a case still under investigation.

On Sunday, one of the same boys from the earlier theft, along with two others, returned to Walmart and stole items again, McConkey said.

“They were kids being silly kids, but they have to face their consequences for stealing and for running from the police, ” McConkey said. They stole Pokemon cards, hiding inside the store, and opened them inside the store. ”

The teens hid the merchandise from the store’s loss prevention staff and police, the lieutenant said. They were ordered to stop, but two ran instead.

The viral video shows one of the boys who ran into a neighboring subdivision after the theft. He hid in a garbage can for about a half-hour, avoiding detection by police.

But an hour later, he and the other two boys were contacted and arrested by citation, then released to their parents.

Four of five boys allegedly involved in the crimes, all Bend 13- and 14-year-olds, were cited; a fifth teen, who lives in Hawaii, has returned home, and police only have his first name at present, McConkey said.

Three of the boys were charged with second-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief, while the two who ran from police also are charged with interfering with a police officer.