DCSO deputy fires GPS tag to track stolen pickup; residents E. of Bend alerted to manhunt that ended in man’s arrest
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – An attempted traffic stop in Redmond Friday afternoon turned into a brief pursuit of a stolen pickup, the use of a remotely fired GPS tracking device called StarChase, a manhunt on BLM land east of Bend Airport, a neighborhood alert and the arrest of a 35-year-old Redmond man on several charges.
Around 2:40 p.m., a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over the driver of a black 2001 Ford F-350 southbound on Highway 97 near Veterans Way for a traffic violation. Sergeant Aaron Harding said.
The driver failed to yield and the deputy initiated a brief pursuit, which was quickly discontinued after the deputy was able to deploy StarChase, a system that allows a trained deputy to remotely affix a GPS tracking device/tag to a vehicle so it can be tracked, Harding said.
The pickup was monitored as the driver headed southeast off-road, abandoning the truck on BLM land east of the intersection of Chaparrel Drive and McGrath Road.
Around 4:25 p.m., a Deschutes Alert was sent to residents in the nearby neighborhoods of Terry Drive, Chaparrel Driver and Cimarron Drive, notifying them to law enforcement activity in the area of McGrath and Stenkamp Road and advising of the search for a man who fled a vehicle.
“Please remain inside or avoid the area at this time,” they were told.
After a successful track by deputies and a Bend Police K-9, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident, Harding said.
A second alert was sent to area residents around 4:50 p.m., advising that the man had been apprehended.
He was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, unauthorized use of a vehicle, misdemeanor driving with a suspended license and an in-state warrant.
NewsChannel 21 policy is not to name arrested suspects until and unless formal charges are filed.
"The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Bend Police Department, Oregon State Police, Redmond Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office and the US Forest Service for their assistance on the incident," Harding said in a news release.
