Developing Story: Pilot killed in plane crash indicted by Deschutes Co. Grand Jury hours before incident

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Steven Nicholas Charlton, the pilot of the plane that crashed Tuesday in Bend, was facing five felony counts of first-degree invasion of personal privacy, Deschutes County Court records show.

The criminal filings contain no information about the plane or the crash and do not establish a connection between the pending charges and what happened Tuesday.

Prosecutors initially charged Charlton on July 30th with one count of first-degree invasion of personal privacy. Court records show he appeared in custody by video for an arraignment that day, and a judge set security at $10,000.

The court ordered Charlton to have no contact with several listed people and prohibited him from accessing cameras or video-recording devices. A release agreement bearing an August 3rd signature is marked as a security release and required him to follow those conditions, remain in Oregon unless he received court permission, and appear at future hearings.

The documents do not identify who paid money toward Charlton’s security or specify how much was deposited.

A Deschutes County grand jury returned a five-count indictment on August 4th. Charlton’s arraignment on the indictment was scheduled for August 6th.

All five counts allege Charlton knowingly and without consent made visual recordings of people who were nude and had a reasonable expectation of privacy. Counts one and two involve one alleged victim. Counts three through five involve a second alleged victim.

The indictment alleges the recordings were made between June 1st and September 30th, 2025. Prosecutors allege each count represents a separate criminal episode. The indictment does not specify where the alleged recordings were made, what device was allegedly used, or whether the recordings were distributed.

Under Oregon law⁠, first-degree invasion of personal privacy is a Class C felony. It applies when someone knowingly records another person in a state of nudity, without that person’s consent, in a place and under circumstances where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Each Class C felony carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000, although any sentence would depend on a conviction, state sentencing guidelines, criminal history, and other factors. The offense does not automatically require sex-offender registration, but state law allows a court to designate it as a sex crime if the court finds registration is necessary for community safety.

An indictment is a formal accusation, not a finding of guilt. Charlton had not entered a plea to the five-count indictment, and the allegations had not been adjudicated before the crash.