In wake of Bend killing, businesses along N. Highway 97 report rise in crime: What can they do if it continues?

(Update: adding comments from businesses along N. Highway 97)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- NewsChannel 21 spoke with nearly a dozen Bend businesses Tuesday morning about their recent experiences with increased crime in the form of drug use, theft, break-ins and trespassing.

By and large, most of the businesses said they've seen and had to deal with the issue and say they believe it's being perpetuated by the still-increasing homelessness issue. Many businesses have said that with the city's closure of the Hunnell Road encampment last year, the crime problems have only gotten worse.

"It is definitely gotten worse in this area. I mean, I've been in this location for 30 years," said Tami Shirley, owner Carpet One Floor & Home. "The last, I don't know, five to eight years, it has just really increased dramatically."

Shirley says transients bring trespassing and vandalism issues to the area.

"We've got a lot of people that set up behind the building," she said. "We had to clear out everything back there so that they couldn't, you know, set up tents and cover lots of needles. It's gotten so bad, we're just - we have to call the police to have them come ask people to leave."

A check of more than 10 businesses along N. Highway 97 between Butler Market Road and Empire Avenue shed light on more problems.

Many employees complain of homeless individuals trespassing. 

Joan, who asked us not to use her last name, said, "Recently, as we were leaving work, my coworker warned me to be careful because there was somebody yelling loudly and walking down the street who seemed not to be really very coherent and a little bit, you know, unpredictable."

Joan and a coworker reported what they heard the day before a homeless man was found dead in a ditch behind the Pacific Pride gas station, leading to the arrest of another homeless man on a murder charge. 

"Coincidentally, we had heard a person shouting so loudly that I could hear them inside our building with all the windows and doors closed, which caught my attention," Joan said, "And another counselor happened to be outside and witnessed that altercation."

Police believe David Carroll Hickman was killed late May 29th or early May 30th, hours before officers responded to a welfare check and found Hickman's body at his campsite.  

On Monday, Brain Lee Wynn was arraigned on murder charges in Deschutes County Court. He was a resident of The Lighthouse Navigation Center.

"It was shocking," Shirley said. "There's a 62-year-old man that we haven't seen in, you know, in about, well, almost a week now. And we're concerned that it was him. He was a very nice man, but we don't know who it was."

Several businesses' employees say the ditch where the victim was found has a lot of foot traffic by homeless transients.

Joan said, "I know that they travel these corridors and ... this is kind of an area where ... they're looking for places to find resources and to sleep all over town."

At the time of the incident, there was confusion over whether this was private or ODOT property. 

ODOT confirmed with us the property is private, but noted camping in the right of way is something they monitor and clear.

Region 4 Public Information Officer Kacey Davey said, "Camping in the right of ways next to the state highway is really not a safe place for anyone to be."

Despite the problems,  businesses have tried to help some of the homeless in the area.  

"We've hired them to help clean up around the building, just as a way to give them some cans and things like that," said Shirley. "The drug users are the ones that that caused the real problems."