NW Bend raid triggers standoff, arrest of burglary, theft suspect

(Update: Police say tear gas used due to stolen rifle, say Short was found hiding under floorboards)

40-year-old was wanted in several commercial burglaries, thefts

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A raid Tuesday on the northwest Bend home of man wanted in numerous recent thefts and burglaries from stores around the city turned into a several-hours standoff until officers forced their way in and arrested him.

The standoff in the 1000 block of Northwest Columbia Street led to area street closures and two nearby school lockouts. It ended around 6 p.m., when the region's SWAT team officers breached the door and found suspect Jeffrey Randall Short, 40, inside.

Earlier, at nearby Highland and Westside Village magnet schools, parents and guardians were advised to pick up any children who had walked or biked to school.

Sgt. West Murphy said officers with the Bend police Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) team learned Dec. 9 that six snow blowers had been stolen from Bend's Home Depot.

Since then, officers responded to several similar calls at area stores that reported the theft of ATVs, snow blowers, wood splitters, a welding machine and a rifle, Murphy said. The investigation identified Short as a suspect in the crimes.

Around 10:40 a.m., patrol and POP team officers, along with members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT), attempted to serve a search warrant at Short's home, but he refused to come to the door, the sergeant said.

CERT negotiators tried to talk Short into surrendering, using "several tactics, including chemical irritants" (several rounds of tear gas) in an attempt to get him to come out, to no avail, Murphy said.

Sgt. Todd Fletcher told NewsChannel 21 the CERT officers "had to use breaching devices" to open the doors, find and arrest Short around 6 p.m. Murphy said Short was found in the living room and did not require medical treatment. There were no injuries, he added.

Short was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on charges of second-degree burglary, four counts of first-degree theft and cocaine possession. Murphy said the charges all related to the thefts from Home Depot. Short also was held without bail on a parole violation charge.

Short was arraigned Wednesday on the charges.

Police said Short had stolen a high-powered rifle, which is why they used tear gas at the home and eventually went in to arrest him. Officers told NewsChannel 21 Wednesday that Short was found hiding under the home’s floorboards.

The investigation is ongoing, with more charges likely, Fletcher said. Citizens who have any information relating to the case are asked to contact Officer Kyle Denney at 541-693-7911.

Regarding the use of tear gas, Lt. Clint Burleigh said, “We used some tactical devices in order to help expedite the situation, trying to make sure the subject was taken into custody safely.”

The raid and standoff prompted closure of Columbia Street between Jacksonville and Kingston avenues and the alleyway between Columbia and Federal streets, police said.  Motorists were urged to use alternate routes.

In conjunction with police activity, Burleigh said, Bend-La Pine Schools did a precautionary lockout at Highland Magnet School at Kingwood School, on Newport Avenue, and Westside Village Magnet School at Kingston Elementary on 12th Street.

In a lockout, exterior doors are locked so people cannot enter, but school activities otherwise continue in normal fashion.

The school district also sent a text to parents and guardians, saying that due to the law enforcement activity, they must pick up walking or biking students in person.

Online records show Short's criminal record dates back to 2001, when he was arrested and later pleaded guilty to first-degree theft.

In 2011, Short, then 31, was one of two people arrested in the December 2010 burglary of The Jewelry Doctor on Southeast Third Street, where more than $30,000 in jewelry was stolen. Police said several pieces were pawned in California.

Short pleaded no contest to theft and burglary charges and was sentenced to probation and several conditions, a sentence amended several times for probation violations until 2017, when he received a 19-month prison sentence, followed by three years of post-prison supervision.