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Bend woman arrested on drunken driving charge after crashing pickup into front of downtown bank

Minor injuries, minor damage to bank

(Update: Adding video and comments from Bend Police, bystander)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 35-year-old Bend woman who lost control of her pickup and crashed into the front of a downtown Bend bank suffered only minor injuries but was arrested on a charge of drunken driving, police said.

Police were called around 8:40 a.m. to the reported crash into the Wells Fargo Bank in the 900 block of NW Wall Street. They said her Nissan pickup jumped the curb and onto the sidewalk, toppled a city parking sign on a pole and struck the front doors of the bank.

Bend resident Claire Benke said, "We were just going for our morning walk down Oregon Avenue, like we do every day. I noticed some flashing lights kind of in front of the bank. I looked to see what happened -- there was a truck in the bank. It almost looked like it was trying to park."

The crash caused minor damage to the building’s front wall and doors, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.

"We do not believe it was a medical issue," she said. "We believe it was alcohol-related."

The driver, who was alone in the pickup, was taken to St. Charles Bend for treatment of minor injuries and arrested on suspicion of DUII-alcohol, she said. She was booked into the jail but later released, records showed.

Bend Fire & Rescue evaluated the building to ensure there was no structural damage, Miller said.

The bank said in a statement that there were no reports of injuries to workers or customers, and confirmed no structural damage to the bank, which opened 45 minutes late Thursday morning but on time Friday.

Court records show the woman pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUII charge in 2013 and was sentenced to a diversion program, including alcohol treatment and a victim impact panel, and ordered not to drive after consuming alcohol.

The Wells Fargo did not have to close due to the crash, as it has two other entrances. Temporary repairs were made to the front door.

Article Topic Follows: Accidents and Crashes

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Kelsey McGee

Kelsey McGee is a multimedia journalist for NewsChannel 21. Learn more about Kelsey here.

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