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Released by: Sgt. William Bailey – Public Information Officer
Release Date: April 22, 2020
Suspect Driver: Keyte, Stuart Age: 55 Redmond, Oregon
Suspect Vehicle: White International 550 dump truck pulling tracked excavator
Victim Driver: Zimmer, Joseph Age: 64 Bend, Oregon
Victim Vehicle: silver 2000 Audi AA6
NARRATIVE:
On April 22, 2020, at approximately 2:45pm, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a reported hit and run incident on Highway 97 near milepost 131, north of Bend. The initial information was that a truck towing backhoe had hit a power line, which brought power lines down onto another vehicle. The truck and backhoe was last seen northbound on Highway 97. The driver of the victim vehicle, Joseph Zimmer, called 911 dispatch to report he was injured and requested medics respond to the scene.
An “attempt to locate” was broadcast for the suspect vehicle and resources from the Redmond Police Department and Oregon State Police assisted with the search. Approximately 30 minutes after the incident was reported, a trooper with the Oregon State Police located the suspect vehicle, a white International dump truck pulling an excavator, near the Redmond Airport on SE Airport Way. The dump truck is owned by Central Oregon Irrigation District.
An investigation at the scene determined the vehicle driven by Stuart Keyte pulled onto Highway 97 from a side road, near milepost 131, with the excavator boom extended upward. The truck caught power lines in the area, which then broke off a power pole and caused the lines and guy-wires to fall across Highway 97. A guy-wire struck the hood and windshield of Zimmer’s vehicle as he drove southbound, causing him serious, non-life threatening injuries. Zimmer was transported by ground ambulance to St. Charles in Bend.
The investigation also determined Stuart was aware he had hit the power lines with the excavator, but left the scene anyway. Stuart was issued a criminal citation for one count of Fail to Perform the Duties of a Driver to Injured Persons - Felony.
We’d like to thank the Redmond Police Department and Oregon State Police for their assistance.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Street Crimes, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves the nearly 190,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 230 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 187 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.
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