Bend police recommend riot, other charges against 15 in Pilot Butte melee
Also recommend charges against 7 for protest blocking Hwy. 20 traffic
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Bend police recommended Tuesday that Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel file a variety of charges, from riot and assault to disorderly conduct and harassment, against 15 people stemming from an Oct. 3 melee at Pilot Butte Neighborhood Park.
In addition, police are recommending that seven people be charged with disorderly conduct and one criminal trespass for blocking traffic on Highway 20 during a protest the following day at the police department headquarters.
Confrontations between President Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter participants at the park that day led to fights, the use of Mace (pepper/bear spray) and a Taser, and a man pointing a gun at others by a pickup truck.
A Bend man who allegedly stole a Trump flag from a pickup truck was the only person cited at the scene, on a theft charge, and released. That the man with the gun was not detained -- only having his gun taken by police -- prompted BLM participants to block police cars from leaving the scene.
A few days later, Bend police shared four social media videos and issued a statement defending officers' actions and behavior. Central Oregon Peacekeepers and others filed citizen complaints Oct. 9 against an officer who they claimed choked a woman by lifting her by her backpack to clear the police cars' path.
Hummel told NewsChannel 21 Tuesday, “I’m still reviewing the evidence. I’ve made no decision about charges."
"I'll announce my decisions when my review is completed," Hummel added.
Hummel had told NewsChannel 21 on Monday he hopes to have charging decisions completed by the end of this week or next week at the latest.
Here is the full news release from Bend police, issued Tuesday afternoon by Lt. Juli McConkey:
Investigation Complete and Charges Forwarded to the Deschutes County District Attorney's Office from Events on October 3rd and 4th
Bend Police Dept. - 10/20/20 3:26 PM
On October 4th, 2020, the Bend Police Department provided a press release regarding the incident that occurred at the Pilot Butte Neighborhood Park on October 3rd, 2020, involving conflicts between two groups identifying as different ideologies. During the incident, there were several acts of conduct that required follow-up investigations to determine if crimes occurred.
The Bend Police Department assembled a team of 5 members who spent over 400 hours of personnel time to review all of the available evidence, reports and statements from the events that day.
After review, on October 20th, 2020, members of the Bend Police Department investigative team met with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office to present the investigative material for their formal review and determination of formal criminal charges.
The Bend Police Department presented cases on 15 people to the District Attorney’s Office for potential criminal charges. The following charges were requested to be considered by the District Attorney;
Male adult – Theft III, Disorderly Conduct II
Male adult – Riot, Disorderly Conduct II
Male adult – Riot, Disorderly Conduct II, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Use of an Electrical Stun Gun.
Male adult – Riot, Disorderly Conduct II 2 counts, Assault IV 3 counts, Harassment.
Male adult – Riot, Unlawful Use of Mace
Female adult – Riot, Unlawful Use of Mace 2 counts, Interfering with a Police Officer 2 counts, Harassment 2 counts, Disorderly Conduct
Male adult – Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing 2 counts
Male adult – Riot, Unlawful Use of Mace 2 counts
Male adult - Riot, Assault IV, Disorderly Conduct II, Harassment
Female adult – Interfering with a Police Officer 3 counts, Harassment 3 counts
Female adult – Unlawful Use of an Electrical Stun Gun, Disorderly Conduct II, Harassment, Interfering with a Police Officer 3 counts, Theft III
Female adult – Interfering with a Police Officer 2 counts, Harassment 2 counts, Disorderly Conduct II
Female adult – Harassment 2 counts, Interfering with a Police Officer 2 counts, Theft III
Male adult – Harassment
Female adult – Interfering with a Police Officer
Additionally, on October 4, 2020, a group of people held a protest event at the Bend Police Department. During this incident some of the individuals engaged in blocking traffic for periods of time on Hwy 20, in front of the Bend Police Department, holding traffic and causing significant delays.
The evidence was reviewed for this incident and the Bend Police Department has also forwarded the investigation to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office for review and decisions on formal criminal charging.
Seven individuals were presented with the following potential charges;
Female adult – Disorderly Conduct II
Female adult – Disorderly Conduct II
Female adult – Disorderly Conduct II, Criminal Trespass II
Female adult – Disorderly Conduct II
Female adult – Disorderly Conduct II
Male adult – Disorderly Conduct II
Male adult – Disorderly Conduct II
The Bend Police Department will continue to evaluate all events that fall under First Amendment protections. However, rights to free speech do not include engaging in behavior that is defined as a crime under Oregon, federal or local law, and we will work to ensure that people who engage in criminal behavior will be held accountable. We will thoroughly investigate alleged criminal conduct and when appropriate forward those investigations to the District Attorney’s Office for charging decisions.
