DUII Driver Arrested After Crashing Into Apartment Complex, Leaving The Scene (Photo) - 03/07/24

Date: March 7, 2024

Case #: 2024-00012648

Incident: DUII driver arrested after crashing into apartment complex, leaving the scene

Date / Time of Incident: March 6, 2024 / 11:51 p.m.

Location: 1500 block of NW Newport Avenue, Bend

Arrested: Christopher Edward Kobernick, 41-year-old Bend resident

Offenses: DUII, Reckless Endangering x8, Hit & Run – Property Damage, Reckless Driving, Criminal Mischief I

At approximately 11:51 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, Bend Police responded to a report that a vehicle had crashed into a residential building in the 1500 block of NW Newport Avenue. 

When officers arrived, they found damage to the wall of an apartment complex, as well as a broken gas line. Officers found a fluid trail leading away from the scene, as well as a bumper and debris. Officers also found an orange Mitsubishi Lancer missing a bumper parked near the intersection of NW Newport and NW Harmon Boulevard, and a man, later identified as 41-year-old Bend resident Christopher Edward Kobernick, walking west along NW Newport Avenue. 

Kobernick confirmed the Lancer was his and that he had crashed his vehicle before parking it in the area.

Eight people were inside the building at the time of the crash. The vehicle struck and damaged the northwest wall of the apartment complex. A child was sleeping in bed directly against the wall that Kobernick hit and damaged. The crash sheared off four natural gas meters and severed the main gas line. Officers evacuated the building, and NW Newport Avenue was closed for about one hour while Bend Fire and Cascade Natural Gas worked to ensure the building's safety.

Kobernick was arrested and transported to the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of DUII, criminal mischief, reckless driving, hit & run, and eight counts of reckless endangerment.