SE Bend porch theft caught on camera; suspect charged with theft, drugged driving

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A southeast Bend resident’s motion detector and surveillance video caught a porch thief in action and led to the arrest of a Bend man on theft, drugged driving and other charges, police reported Sunday.

Police received a report Friday afternoon from a resident on Hummingbird Lane who said they received an alert on their cellphone of motion on their front porch around 7:45 a.m., Sergeant Wes Murphy said.

When they checked the app on their phone, they saw someone walk up to their package and steal a delivered package, containing a blanket worth $150, he said. The video also showed the suspect getting into a car and driving away.

Murphy said the investigating officer shared the information with other officers, one of whom recognized the car, based on a recent traffic complaint they’d received, and provided the license plate to the investigating officer, who determined it was registered to a 24-year-old Bend man.

Police confirmed the man was the person in the surveillance video and tried to contact him at his home, without success.

Around 9 a.m. Saturday, officers spotted the man’s car parked on the street in front of his house and began surveillance as one officer applied for a search warrant for the home, Murphy said.

Officers saw the man get into his car and start to drive away, so they conducted a traffic stop. Murphy said they developed probable cause to believe the man was under the influence of methamphetamine.

The raid on the home found the stolen blanket and other related evidence. The man was arrested by citation in lieu of custody on charges of second-degree theft, DUII-drugs and driving with a suspended license.