Redmond man allegedly steals front loader from construction site, uses it to ram a family member’s SUV
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County sheriff's deputies answered an unusual call Monday night just west of Redmond that sounded more like a scene from an action movie than a typical family dispute, authorities said.
Shortly before 8 p.m., 911 dispatchers got a call from a resident on NW Norse Way, saying a family member was threatening to crush their vehicle with a tractor, DCS Public Information Officer Jason Carr said.
Moments later, the caller confirmed the threat had turned into reality: "The suspect was actively ramming the vehicle with heavy machinery," Carr said in a news release Tuesday. (He later told KTVZ News the Jeep Liberty he struck sustained only minor damage.)
Deputies quickly responded and spotted a massive CAT 980M front loader rumbling away from the scene near NW 35th Street and Upas Avenue.
They conducted a traffic stop, Carr said, and the driver, identified as 36-year-old Blake Mogan of Redmond, was taken into custody without further incident.
According to Carr, Mogan admitted to stealing the front loader from a nearby construction site. The CAT, valued at over $750,000, sustained minimal damage and was returned to its owner.
Mogan was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on two felony charges, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and first-degree theft, and a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal mischief.
According to a jail representative, Mogan was released to a responsible third party shortly after midnight, told to appear in court Dec. 30.
Drugs are believed to be a factor in what happened, Carr said.
"While the situation could have ended much worse," Carr said, "deputies were able to safely resolve the incident and return the stolen equipment."
"It’s not every day you see a traffic stop involving a 70-ton front loader, but our team is ready for anything," the sheriff's office representative added.
