Bend man charged in DUII wrong-way roundabout crash
Officers say 41-year-old Harry Shearer was driving drunk
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend man faces charges of drunk driving and felony hit-and-run after a wrong-way head-on collision Friday afternoon in a southeast Bend roundabout that sent both drivers and a young passenger to the hospital.
Sgt. R.C. Bigelow said the crash happened just before 3:37 p.m. at the new roundabout at Southeast Murphy Road and Southeast 15th Street.
Witnesses said 41-year-old Harry Shearer of Bend was driving a gray Honda sedan, heading southbound on 15th St. They said he tried to speed up and pass a car in front of him.
Bigelow said Shearer was not able to get back into the southbound lane in time, and entered the roundabout going the wrong way.
A 52-year-old Bend woman and a young passenger were in a black Jeep traveling north on 15th Street. Officers said the cars collided head-on in the middle of the roundabout.
"Witnesses told us that right after the crash, our suspect exited his vehicle and then ran out the side of the road and then just kept running from the scene,” said Bend police Sgt. Eric Hagan. “(He) did not stay, did not render aid, or do any of the other things required by law."
An off-duty Bend firefighter-paramedic provided care at the scene to the injured woman, who was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Hagan said an officer found Shearer at 4:03 p.m. about two miles away from the crash scene, near Southeast 27th Street and Stevens Road. The officer tried to contact Shearer, but he ran again. The officer managed to later detain Shearer after he tried to hide in a snow-covered open area.
Hagan said both cars likely were totaled in what he called “a substantial crash.” Both drivers were taken to St. Charles Bend via ambulance to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The young passenger in the Jeep was transported by personal vehicle to the hospital for evaluation.
Shearer was taken to St. Charles Bend for evaluation and issued a citation in lieu of custody on charges of felony hit-and-run, drunken driving and attempting to elude officers.
Bend police assisted at the scene by Bend Fire and Rescue.
"The Bend Police Department would like to thank the citizens that stopped at the traffic crash and provided aid to the injured female and to the citizens that provided information regarding the suspect that assisted with his capture," Bigelow said.
