Bend police: Man with improvised spear jailed after threatening insurance adjuster at fire-hit gym

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A man wielding an improvised spear threatened one of two insurance adjusters at a fire-hit northeast Bend gym Wednesday morning and was arrested on menacing and criminal trespass charges, police said.

Police learned shortly after 11 a.m. from Deschutes County 911 dispatchers of the reported weapons offense outside of Fitness 1440, damaged by an Oct. 6 fire, Lt. Clint Burleigh said.

A witness reported a man had approached and threatened another man with a spear and what appeared to be a sharp tip or knife at the end of it, Burleigh said. The victim and witness were at the gym as insurance adjusters looking at the fire damage.

Burleigh said the 35-year-old suspect approached the pair quickly, and they decided to leave the jobsite, while they saw the suspect go into his motor home, parked on the adjacent street.

Officers directed the occupants of the motor home to come out, and two did, one identified as the suspect, who was taken into custody without incident, Burleigh said. He was lodged at the county jail on charges of menacing and second-degree criminal trespass.

Burleigh said a long pole was found in the motor home, as well as a fabricated piece of metal in the shape of a large knife.

The incident prompted closure of the 1500 block of Northeast Second Street for about 40 minutes, the lieutenant said.