Bend fugitive driving stolen car prompts pursuit, arrested after crashing NE of town
Police did not chase at first due to department policy against pursuits
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A pursuit of a Bend fugitive driving a stolen car who damaged a Bend police car, nearly striking a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy, led to his arrest Thursday evening after he crashed into two fences in Crook County and the vehicle became stuck on a large rock, officers said.
A Bend police officer spotted the occupied stolen car, a 2008 Honda Fit, shortly before 7 p.m. in a dirt area near McGrath Road and the Powell Butte Highway, Bend police Corporal Erick Supplee said.
The officer knew the apparent driver had a felony warrant for his arrest and had recently eluded Deschutes County deputies, he said.
Bend police requested the help of a sheriff’s office K-9 team due to the driver’s likelihood of fleeing, Supplee said. When officers tried to contact him, he fled in the stolen car, causing minor damage to a Bend police car and nearly striking a deputy.
The man fled through an off-road area and onto Powell Butte Highway. Bend police did not pursue the car due to the department’s general prohibition on pursuits, with some exceptions (see below).
The deputy, however, did initiate a pursuit, and because no other deputies were available, Bend police did assist in the pursuit, Supplee said.
The driver eventually crashed into two fences in Crook County, on Majestic View Lane east of the Powell Butte Highway, and the car became stuck on a large rock.
The driver was arrested and taken to St. Charles Bend for a medical evaluation, then lodged in the county jail on a felony and new charges including vehicle theft, fleeing or attempting to elude officers and DUII-drugs.
The district attorney's office filed a dozen initial charges Friday ahead of his afternoon arraignment, including four Class C felonies -- two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude police, unauthorized use of a vehicle and first-degree criminal mischief -- and five misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.
