DCSO K-9 team catches two Redmond SUV theft suspects after brief pursuit, wide-ranging manhunt
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Redmond man and woman were arrested Saturday afternoon in the theft of an SUV earlier in the day after a brief pursuit, wide-ranging manhunt involving several law enforcement agencies and their capture with the help of a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team.
Deputies were called in around 10:20 a.m. to help Redmond police look for a 2003 Dodge Durango stolen in Redmond earlier in the morning, sheriff’s Lieutenant Jayson Janes said.
A deputy spotted the SUV in the area of Southeast 10th Street and Highway 126 and tried to pull it over, engaging in a brief pursuit but terminating it when the driver went into the vacant land north of Highway 126, Janes said.
Attempts to find the Durango were unsuccessful until about 1:15 p.m., when a citizen reported they saw the stolen SUV on Alpine Lane in Alfalfa.
Deputies tried to follow the SUV until more law enforcement arrived in the area, but lost sight of it on Alfalfa Market Road, Janes said.
Around 2 p.m., a deputy saw the Durango turn off of Powell Butte Highway, onto Morrill Road, and later found it abandoned about a half-mile north of Powell Butte Highway.
K-9 Delta and her partner, Deputy Nautique Simpson, arrived on scene and began tracking the two people involved.
The two suspects, a 32-year-old man and 33-year-old woman, were found shortly before 3 p.m., about a mile away from the stolen SUV, Janes said.
They were taken into custody without incident and booked into the county jail in Bend, both on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle. The man also faces two counts each of felony attempt to elude and reckless driving, as well as reckless endangering and three Redmond car theft-related charges. The man remained jailed early Sunday but the woman had been released, jail logs showed.
NewsChannel 21 policy is not to name arrested subjects until and unless formal charges are filed.
"The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Oregon State Police, Redmond Police Department and the Crook County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in apprehending these two subjects," Janes said in a news release.
