City of Bend Police Department Chief Mike Krantz Issues Statement on Tyre Nichols' Death
To the Bend community:
I want you to know that we at the Bend Police Department are appalled and disgusted by the terrible acts of violence perpetrated against Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers.
What we saw on that video is pure abuse of power and unconscionable violence, and there is no room in policing for the behavior we saw from those cops. I applaud the Memphis Police Chief for her swift decision to ensure those officers can no longer wear the badge.
At the Bend Police Department, our officers are held to high standards and undergo extensive training. We empower our officers to intervene, to speak out when they see something go wrong, and to render aid. We strive for a culture that simply does not tolerate this type of police behavior.
I know that when we see videos like this, it erodes trust in police nationwide, including in Bend. The City of Bend Police Department is committed to earning and keeping the trust of our community, and we will work every day to ensure that our community members are treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
Mike Krantz
Chief, City of Bend Police Department
Date: Jan. 24, 2023
Case #s: 2023-00004609, 2023-00004720
Incident: Bend man arrested after brandishing firearm at multiple people
Date / Time of Incident: Jan. 24, 2023 / 1:39 p.m.
Location: Third Street & SE Reed Market Road, Bend
Arrested: Caleb Joseph Cegers, 19-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Menacing x2, Disorderly Conduct II x2
At approximately 1:15 a.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 24, Bend Police were called to 7-Eleven on NW Galveston Avenue for a report of a person who had brandished a firearm at employees, then left in a white Mercedes Benz sedan.
About 45 minutes later, a Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputy located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop on suspicion of DUII. The driver, identified as 19-year-old Bend resident Caleb Joseph Cegers, was arrested by Bend Police and around 4 a.m. was lodged in the Deschutes County Jail on charges of DUII – Alcohol, Minor in Possession – Alcohol, and Driving While Suspended.
About eight hours later, at 12:03 p.m., Bend Police were dispatched to a report that the driver of a white Mercedes Benz sedan, traveling southbound on Third Street, had brandished a handgun at a pedestrian, aiming and cocking it. At approximately 12:54 p.m., another caller reported a man at the 76 gas station on NE Third Street had similarly brandished a gun before driving away from the area. Both victims independently provided the same physical description of the man with the gun, who was a stranger to them.
Bend Police identified the suspect as Cegers, and at approximately 1:39 p.m. officers located Cegers’ vehicle parked in a shopping center at SE Third Street and Reed Market Road. The vehicle was unoccupied.
Because previous calls indicated Cegers had a handgun, multiple units responded to the area. Cegers was taken into custody without incident at 2 p.m. The handgun was determined to be a replica.
Cegers was transported to the Deschutes County Jail on charges of menacing and disorderly conduct.
Date: Jan. 17, 2023
Case #: 2023-00002349
Incident: CERT locates firearms, drugs in search warrant execution
Incident Date / Time: Jan. 17, 2023 / 10:54 a.m.
Location: 21000 block of Thomas Drive, Bend
Arrested: Davin Thomas Wagner, 39-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Felon in possession of a weapon x2, possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance – felony, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) – felony, tampering with evidence
During the week of Jan. 9, Bend Police received a tip that Davin Thomas Wagner, a felon, was illegally in possession of a firearm. Officers investigated the tip and obtained a search warrant for Wagner’s home on Thomas Drive.
At approximately 10:54 a.m. on Jan. 17, the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT) executed a search warrant in the 21000 block of Thomas Drive in Bend.
While CERT members were executing the warrant, Wagner ran from the residence armed with a handgun, and attempted to escape by jumping a fence.
CERT used drones as well as police apprehension K9s Doug and Kim to take Wagner into custody. Wagner sustained minor injuries when he tripped while running from officers, and was treated by medical staff on scene before being transported to the Deschutes County Jail, where he was lodged on the above charges.
During the execution of the search warrant, CERT members located two handguns and two extended capacity magazines, as well as fentanyl, methamphetamine and suspected heroin in the residence.
Bend Police Announce K9 Ladybug’s retirement
After four years on the job, K9 Ladybug retired in December 2022.
Ladybug, a drug detection K9, is a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois. She was purchased from Golden Gate K9 in Santa Rosa, Calif., which provides patrol and drug detection K9s to agencies up and down the West Coast.
Ladybug trained as a passive alert detection dog, meaning she sits and stays or lays and stares when she detects the source of narcotic odors.
She and her handler, Detective Rob Pennock, completed an initial 240 hours of training at the Washington State Department of Corrections Narcotic Dog Academy. She was certified in Washington, Oregon and California and never failed a certification test, passing them in March and April of 2019, January, April and July of 2020 and April and November of 2021.
In 43 months working, from March 2019 through November 2022, Ladybug was deployed 505 times.
She seized 14,804 grams of methamphetamine, 10,959 grams of heroin, 3,588 grams of cocaine and 4,317 fentanyl pills during that time.
In addition to her drug seizures, Ladybug also recovered $18,400 in cash, 13 illegal guns and was part of 233 arrests.
Of note, Ladybug’s role on patrol decreased dramatically after a 2021 Oregon Court of Appeals case changed how drug detection dogs could be used on traffic stops.
Over her tenure with the Bend Police Department, Ladybug was an invaluable member of our team and we thank her for her service. Her handler, Detective Rob Pennock, now works with K9 Bonnie.
UPDATE:
Date: Jan. 15, 2023
Case #: 2022-00075853
Incident: Deceased subject located by searchers, identified as Melissa Trench
Date / Time of Incident: 12:30 p.m., Jan. 15
Location: South end of Shevlin Park near Forest Service Road 4606, Bend
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, Deschutes County 911 dispatchers received a call from people who were in the area of Shevlin Park searching for missing Bend resident Melissa Rosann Trench.
The caller reported they had located what they believed was a body on the south end of Shevlin Park, near Tumalo Creek and Forest Service Road 4606. Because the location is outside city limits, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and made an initial confirmation that the deceased subject was, in fact, Trench. The Deschutes County Medical Examiner’s Office also responded and assisted in the investigation.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office detectives will continue to investigate this case, but there is no evidence of foul play or criminal wrongdoing.
Bend Police thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Deschutes County SAR Foundation for their assistance on this case.
Bend Police Release 2022 DUII Roundup
In 2021, the City of Bend Police Department’s annual survey found that DUIIs were one of the biggest concerns for our community, and that our community favored additional DUII enforcement.
In 2022, our officers took that concern seriously, and arrested 684 people for DUII. That is a nearly 35 percent increase from our 2021 total of 509 DUII arrests.
Here are a few stats about the 684 DUII arrests Bend Police made in 2022.
Officers made the most DUII arrests in March (80).
The average number of DUII arrests made each month was 57.
Officers made the most arrests between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m., but DUIIs take place at all hours. Of the 684 DUII arrests in 2022, 152 were made between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Bend Police’s dedicated DUII officers and traffic team combined to arrest 253 DUIIs in 2022 – nearly 37 percent.
Of the 684 arrests:
- 53 registered a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .01 to .07 (8 percent of all arrests)
- 197 registered a BAC of .08 to .14 (29 percent)
- 150 registered a BAC of .15 to .19 (22 percent)
- 153 registered a BAC of .20 and higher (22 percent)
- 107 registered a BAC of 0.0 (16 percent) *
- The remainder are pending lab results
*This means they registered no alcohol, but BAC doesn’t measure drug impairment.
Those who measure a 0.0% BAC were arrested due to signs of impairment (failing field sobriety tests, for example) that may have been drug-related. After their BAC measured 0.0%, some consented to a blood draw, and others completed a blood draw as the result of a search warrant.
A variety of drugs were identified in DUII arrests. Those include THC, methamphetamine, morphine, methadone, fentanyl, cocaine, MDMA, suboxone and prescription drugs. Many DUIIs were for a combination of drugs, or a combination of drugs and alcohol.
Of those in the BAC range of .20% or higher, 48 of those (31 percent) were arrested between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Fifteen arrestees blew a BAC of .30% or higher in 2022. That level of intoxication is so high that the Deschutes County Jail will not accept anyone at .30 or higher without medical clearance from St. Charles Bend.
Of the 684 arrests, 249 required telephonic search warrants, which officers apply for when an arrestee declines to consent to a breathalyzer or blood draw, asks for an attorney, or whose breathalyzer test is not consistent with the level of impairment.
Date: Jan. 10, 2023
Incident: Bend Police welcome two new apprehension K9s to department
The City of Bend Police Department is pleased to welcome two new K9s to its team.
K9 Doug, whose handler is Officer Jeff Perkins, and K9 Harry, whose handler is Officer Leigh Anne Boileau, were certified by the Oregon Police Canine Association on Dec. 21, 2022.
K9 Doug and K9 Harry are apprehension dogs, which means they are trained to locate and apprehend a suspect who is fleeing or hiding. Deploying a K9 can provide a faster resolution to a challenging and dangerous situation, and can increase officer safety.
Hailing from Slovakia, K9 Harry is a German Shepherd that will be 2 years old on April 20. Officer Boileau and K9 Harry started training together in early November. This is Officer Boileau’s first time working as a K9 handler.
K9 Doug, a Dutch Shepherd, comes to Bend from Germany and will be 2 years old on Jan. 11. Officer Perkins and K9 Doug started training together in early November. Perkins previously worked with K9 Bonnie, one of the Bend Police Department’s drug detection dogs.
The K9s and their handlers recently concluded an extensive five-week training, in which they learned a variety of skills and how to work together in dangerous and complex situations. They will continue to train with other K9 teams – from Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service – every two weeks as they hone their skills.
Both Doug and Harry come to the Bend Police Department from Tarheel Canine Training, Inc., in North Carolina.
UPDATE #2: Bend Police are providing surveillance photos of the suspect in this incident. The suspect was wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans and a gray backpack. Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to contact Cpl. Scott Salvage at 541-640-6319.
UPDATE: After a thorough search of the area by the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team, the suspect in this incident remains outstanding.
A firearm was located during the search.
CERT is no longer in the area, but Bend Police continue to investigate this incident and ask that residents in the area look around their property for any shell casings, gunshot damage or other evidence. If you find any evidence, please leave it in place and contact nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.
Residents with surveillance cameras are also asked to check between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. today, Jan. 7, for any footage showing a person with a gun moving through the area.
Residents in the area of Silver Sage Street are no longer required to shelter in place.
Bend Police wish to thank the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in the response and investigation.
Date: Jan. 7, 2023
Case #: 2022-00001220
Incident: CERT responds to reports of armed subject in SE Bend
Date / Time of Incident: Jan. 7, 2023 / 2:38 a.m.
Location: Silver Sage Street, Bend
At approximately 2:38 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, Bend Police responded to multiple calls of a man firing a gun in the area of Parrell and Badger roads in SE Bend. Witnesses reported the person was walking in the area and firing rounds indiscriminately into the air.
Bend Police located the suspect, who ran from officers. Officers used a drone to track the suspect’s movement to Silver Sage Street between Parrell and Benham roads, then set up a perimeter and sent out an emergency notification to neighbors in a 1-mile radius of the incident.
The Central Oregon Emergency Response Team is now at the scene. A law enforcement presence will remain in the area for some time.
The public is asked to use caution and avoid the area. People who live in the immediate area are asked to shelter in place.
Date: Jan. 8, 2023
Case #: 23-00001453
Incident: One seriously injured in DUII hit-and-run crash in NE Bend
Date / Time of Incident: Jan. 8, 2023 / 3:31 p.m.
Location: Cooley Road & Hunters Circle, Bend
Victim: 47-year-old Bend resident
Arrested: Justin Harris O’Leary, 50-year-old Bend resident
Charges: DUII, Hit & Run - Injury
At approximately 3:31 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8, Bend Police responded to an injury crash at Cooley Road and Hunters Circle in NE Bend.
A preliminary investigation found that a motorcyclist was traveling westbound on Cooley Road at a high rate of speed. A silver Mazda sedan, driven by 50-year-old Justin Harris O’Leary, was traveling eastbound on Cooley and turning left onto Hunters Circle when the motorcycle hit the back bumper. The motorcyclist, a 47-year-old Bend resident, was transported to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries.
O'Leary left the scene of the crash and was later located at Hunters Circle and Joseph Way. He was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants and felony hit and run.
Cooley Road between U.S. Highway 97 and High Standard Drive was shut down to allow Bend Police’s crash reconstruction team to investigate the incident. It is expected to remain closed until approximately 7 p.m.
UPDATE
Date: Jan. 6, 2023
Case #: 2022-00075853
Incident: Law enforcement continues to search for missing Bend woman
Date / Time of Incident: Dec. 27, 2022 / 8:49 a.m.
Location: 600 block of NE Olney Avenue & Shevlin Park, Bend
Missing: Melissa Rosann Trench, 38-year-old Bend resident
Over the past week and a half, the City of Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office have worked together in an effort to locate Melissa Rosann Trench, who was last seen on Dec. 26 and was reported missing by her family on Dec. 27.
At this time, law enforcement investigation has found nothing to indicate foul play or criminal wrongdoing.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Unit has searched more than 3,900 acres (approximately 6 square miles) multiple times with ground searchers, horse teams, search dogs and unmanned aerial systems. The area includes Shevlin Park, where Trench’s vehicle was found parked, as well as public and private forestland. Searchers scoured the trail system as well as off trail, and as of Thursday, Jan. 5, more than 1,220 DCSO staff hours, both paid and volunteer, have been dedicated to Trench’s disappearance. Teams are out in the field searching again today.
During this time, Bend Police have assigned two detectives to the case. Detectives have followed up on multiple tips from the public, examined surveillance video, searched the area (including with the use of unmanned aerial systems), and analyzed cell phone data to narrow Trench’s last known location. An investigation into cell phone and financial records continues, and detectives put out a request for Ring camera footage in certain parts of city limits.
DCSO is not seeking volunteers to search for Trench at this time, but both agencies ask that anyone in the area of Shevlin Park or on surrounding public lands be vigilant and report any information to the nonemergency dispatch line at 541-693-6911.
Bend Police thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Deschutes County SAR Foundation for their assistance on this case.
ORIGINAL RELEASE
Date: Dec. 27, 2022
Case #: 2022-00075853
Incident: Bend woman missing, considered endangered
Date / Time of Incident: Dec. 27, 2022 / 08:49 a.m.
Location: 600 block of NE Olney Avenue & Shevlin Park, Bend
Missing: Melissa Rosann Trench, 38-year-old Bend resident
Bend Police are asking the public for assistance in locating 38-year-old Bend resident Melissa Rosann Trench, who is missing and considered endangered.
At approximately 8:49 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27, Bend Police received a request for a welfare check in the 600 block of NE Olney Avenue. Family members reported that Trench had been acting strangely before she left their home on the evening of Dec. 26, and did not call to say she’d arrived home as they’d requested. Family members went to her house in the 600 block of NE Olney Avenue and texted and called her, but received no response.
Officers attempted to contact Trench, but were unsuccessful. Just before 5 p.m., officers received additional information that Trench may be having suicidal ideations. Her family located her gray 2009 Acura MDX at the entrance to Shevlin Park at approximately 6 p.m.
Bend Police and are working with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office to continue to search for Trench, but are asking the public to be on the lookout for her as well.
Trench is 5 feet 11 inches tall and 135 pounds. She is white with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a green down jacket with fur on the hood, black yoga pants, and black or brown boots. She has pierced ears and an infinity symbol tattooed on her right arm.
Members of the public who see Trench or who have additional information are asked to contact nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 or 911.
****UPDATED PHOTOS FOR MISSING/ENDANGERED PERSON****
Bend Police are still asking the public for assistance in locating 38-year-old Bend resident Melissa Rosann Trench, who is missing and considered endangered.
Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue are requesting Bend and Deschutes County residents in the areas west of the Deschutes river to check their properties and outbuildings to assist in the search for Melissa Trench.
Members of the public who see Trench or who have additional information are asked to contact nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 or 911.
Date: Jan. 4, 2023
Case #s: 2022-00076066, 2023-00000597
Incident: Bend Police warn of gift card scams directed at local businesses
Dates / Times of Incidents: Dec. 28, 2022 – Jan. 4, 2023
Locations: Bangers & Brews, 1200 block of SW Simpson Avenue, Bend
Shari’s North, 3000 block of N US Highway 97, Bend
Bend Police are urging the public to be aware of a scam involving gift cards that has struck several local businesses.
On Dec. 28, 2022, Bend Police received a report of a theft at Bangers & Brews. A caller told an employee that the business owner was being held by U.S. Marshals, the restaurant was being audited and the employee needed to send $1,000 in gift cards in order to release the owner. Ultimately the employee provided $1,000 in gift cards and another $1,000 from a personal bank account to the scammer via an online app. The scammers spoofed the owner’s phone number and seemed to know information about the business and its employees.
On Jan. 4, 2023, Bend Police received a report of a theft at Shari’s North. The restaurant’s manager told Bend Police that an employee had received a call during the night from a person claiming to be the Shari’s corporate financial auditor. The caller, who spoofed the district manager’s phone number, alleged the restaurant had received counterfeit bills and the Internal Revenue Service was conducting an audit and needed gift cards. The caller told the employee to empty the register and to buy gift cards with the money, then mail them to an IRS address. In total, $3,070 in gift cards were sent to the scammer.
Bend Police continue to investigate these crimes but urge local businesses to educate employees and know that organizations and governmental agencies will not call to ask for money, especially via gift cards, to end an audit, arrest or other event.
Date: Jan. 4, 2023
Case #: 2023-00000375 & 2023-0000593
Incident: La Pine man arrested after breaking into home in SE Bend
Date / Time of Incident: Jan. 3 / 1:24 a.m. / Jan. 4 / 2:59 a.m.
Location: 21000 block of Ritz Place, 1600 block of SE Virginia Road
Arrested: Dakota Willis, 26-year-old La Pine resident
Charges: Burglary I, Harassment, Menacing, Sex Abuse III, Criminal Trespass II, Felony Warrant
At approximately 1:23 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, Bend Police responded to a report of a residential burglary in the 21000 block of Ritz Place. Callers reported people running down the street screaming, and residents of the home reported that the suspect had entered through a back door and been in the home for an unknown amount of time. One of the residents reported that the suspect entered her bedroom, threatened her and her roommates and touched her without her consent.
Residents of the home chased the suspect and got into an altercation before the suspect got away, possibly in a vehicle. The suspect was described as a white male in his mid-20s, approximately 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, wearing a blue hoodie and a backpack.
At approximately 2:56 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 4, a resident of a home in the 1600 block of SE Virginia Road called to report that an unknown man was in his backyard looking through his windows. He was not home at the time and was watching the man on his surveillance camera. Police located the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Dakota Willis, and took him into custody.
Police determined that Willis was responsible for the Jan. 3 break-in on Ritz Place, and that he also had an in-state felony warrant for his arrest. Willis was arrested and booked into the Deschutes County Jail on the above charges.
Bend Police are asking residents who live in the area to check their surveillance cameras for footage from the nighttime hours of Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 to determine whether Willis is associated with any additional crimes. Anyone with information is asked to contact nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 and reference the above case numbers.