Two Bend men arrested in courthouse hoax bomb threat
(Update: Correcting time element 3rd paragraph)
Two Bend men were arrested Saturday evening on charges they left a suspicious package on the doorsteps of the Deschutes County Courthouse early last Monday and called in a hoax bomb threat that caused evacuations, street closures and call-out of the Oregon State Police Explosives Unit.
Kellie Kent Cameron, 30, and Jonathan Tyler Allen, 23, were identified as suspects in the week-long investigation by Bend police and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, Bend police Sgt. Robert Jones said.
The men were contacted around 5:30 p.m. Saturday during a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Timbers East Bar & Grill on Northeast Twin Knolls Drive, off Highway 20, Jones said.
Search warrants were executed on Allen and Cameron, as well as the Dodge van they occupied, the sergeant said.
Evidence was obtained, Jones said, and the two men were taken to the county jail and booked on charges of possession of a hoax destructive device, criminal conspiracy, first-degree disorderly conduct and methamphetamine possession. Initial bail was set at $20,000 for each suspect, jail records show.
Arrest witness Jonathon Aldridge said at least seven police cars and officers with guns drawn had shown up in the bar’s parking lot as each man was taken out of the van, hands up, then behind their back and taken into custody.
Authorities had released a security video image and asked the public for tips after someone left a large package at the courthouse steps around 6:30 a.m. Monday and left. They were witnessed by a county maintenance worker who notified their supervisor.
Around the same time, someone called to claim they had planted two bombs, one at the courthouse and other nearby, without giving a reason why.
The courthouse and adjacent district attorney’s office were evacuated, as well as a bank and law office across the street. The courthouse was closed the rest of the day as the Oregon State Police Explosive Unit was called in from Salem and eventually rendered it harmless with a high-pressure water cannon.
It was determined to be a hoax device, and no second object was found in an hours-long search of the area.
Court records show Cameron pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary in 2017 and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years probation. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and fourth-degree assault and was given a six-month jail sentence.
Cameron was arrested again in late 2018 on misdemeanor charges of second-degree theft and drug possession; a trial slated for last month was postponed until November.
Allen pleaded not guilty in March to seven late 2018 charges, including theft, forgery and ID theft. His two-day jury trial is scheduled for late October, court records show.
