Emergency Info and Latest News from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office

Released By: Sergeant Jason Wall

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Location: 1500 block of Ice Avenue

Narrative:

On June 30th, 2024, at 5:30 pm the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to assist the Redmond Fire & Rescue, Crooked River Ranch Fire Department, and the Jefferson County Fire Department with a debris burn pile which was no longer contained and was now spreading through a property in the 1500 block of NW Ice Ave in Terrebonne, Oregon.

During this event it was approximately 80 degrees with strong winds pushing north to south. As the fire continued to spread to the south quickly, it approached another property which resulted in numerous structures being threatened. Several fire resources were able to contain the fire from spreading as the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office assisted with evacuations of nearby properties. Due to the quick response of the fire fighters on scene, the structures were saved from complete destruction. Fire resources remained on scene for several hours to assure the once aggressive fire was fully extinguished. 

During the investigation, it was determined the cause of the fire was a debris burn which was left unattended. Debris burns such as these have been banned since June 1st. The fire consumed approximately four acres of dry weeds, bushes, and trees, and the fire threatened numerous structures but did not cause any serious damage. The owner of the residence who started the debris burn pile was issued a citation.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office would like to remind residents that debris burns are banned and prohibited as of June 1st. Debris burning is described as: burning with burn barrels, weed burners, field, ditch, and open pile burning. It is always recommended to consult with the fire station in your jurisdiction when considering burning. 

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 over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 263 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 178 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Released by: Lieutenant Jayson Janes

Date: June 25, 2024

Location: Darlene Way and Finley Butte, La Pine

UPDATE July 1, 2024 5:00 PM *****

After consultation with fire managers, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is lowering some evacuation levels effective 6 PM on July 1, 2024. These levels may change again as conditions change.  Residents should remain vigilant and stay informed about changing conditions.

Current evacuation notices:

Level 2: Be Set - All areas immediately surrounding the Darlene 3 Fire including areas east of the BNSF railroad tracks, north of the Deschutes/Klamath County line, and public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service.

Level 1: Be Ready - Newberry Estates subdivision off of Rosland Road and the commercial areas east of Hwy 97 near Wickiup Junction including areas off of Drafter Rd and Rosland Rd. Additionally all areas bound east of Hwy 97, north of Hwy 31 and west of the BNSF rail road tracks.

All other areas under various evacuation notices have remained unchanged.

Updated maps and information can be found at www.deschutes.org/emergency.

Numerous road closures remain in effect around the fire. The public is asked to respect these road closures as well as closures put in place by the Deschutes National Forest and Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management. These closures are in place to protect the public and firefighters working in the area.

UPDATE June 28, 2024 12:00 PM *****

After consultation with fire managers, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is lowering some evacuation levels. These levels may change again as conditions change.  Residents should remain vigilant and stay informed about changing conditions.

The Newberry Estates subdivision has been reduced from Level 3: Go Now to Level 2: Be Set.  Residents should understand there is still risk and they should be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice.

The residential area immediately north of Burgess Rd and east of the Little Deschutes River has been reduced from Level 1: Be Ready to no evacuation notice.

All other areas under various evacuation notices have remained unchanged.

Updated maps and information can be found at www.deschutes.org/emergency.

Numerous road closures remain in effect around the fire. The public is asked to respect these road closures as well as closures put in place by the Deschutes National Forest and Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management. These closures are in place to protect the public and firefighters working in the area.

UPDATE June 27, 2024 11:30 AM *****

After consultation with fire managers, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is adjusting evacuation levels. These levels may change again as conditions change.  

Level 3: Go Now evacuation levels include:

All areas east of the the BNSF railroad tracks to FS Road 9736 and FS 22 (Finley Butte Rd) and north of the Deschutes/Klamath Line north to just north of Newberry Estates subdivision.

Level 2: Be Set evacuation levels include:

Areas immediately east of Hwy 97 north of the line even with the Hwy 97/Burgess Rd north to include Drafter Rd area. (reduced from Level 3)

Industrial area on Russel Rd from Reed Rd south to the end of Russel Rd (reduced from level 3).

Areas north of Hwy 31 between Hwy 97 east to the BNSF Railroad tracks.

Areas north of FS Rd 21 (Paulina-East Lake Rd) to Paulina Creek west of FS 9736.

Level 1: Be Ready evacuation levels include:

Residential area immediately west of Hwy 97, north of Burgess Rd and east of the Little Deschutes River.

Updated maps and information can be found at www.deschutes.org/emergency.

UPDATE June 26, 2024 11:33 AM *****

Level 1 BE READY evacuation level has been issued for the area west of Hwy 97 north of Burgess Rd. east of the Little Deschutes River and south of Riverview Dr. 

UPDATE 6:57 PM *****

Evacuation level reduced to Level 2 BE SET. The area east of Hwy 97 south of Bassett Dr between the train tracks has been reduced from Level 3 to Level 2. 

UPDATE 6:09 PM*****

Level 3 GO NOW Evacuations for the areas east of Hwy 97 south of Drafter Rd. South of Bassett Dr. to Hwy 31.

Level 2 BE SET Evacuations for the area east of Hwy 97 to the train tracks from Reed Rd. south to Bassett Dr. 

Please continue to deschutes.org/emergency for the most up to date evacuation levels

UPDATE 5:38 PM*****

A livestock and small animal shelter has been established at the La Pine Rodeo Grounds with support from the Pet Evacuation Team. 

UPDATE 3:48 PM ********

Level 3 GO NOW Evacuations have been issued for the area east of Hwy 97 north of Reed Rd including areas off Rosland Rd. and Newberry Estates. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is assisting with a fire in the area of Darlene Way and Finley Butte Rd. in La Pine. 

Level 3 GO NOW Evacuations have been issued for the area east of the railroad tracks near Darlene Way and Ice Cave Rd.

Level 2 BE SET Evacuations have been issued for the areas east of Hwy 97 and south of Rosland Pit.

Level 1 BE READY Evacuations have been issued for the area east of Hwy 97 along Rosland Rd including Newberry Estates. 

A temporary evacuation point has been established at La Pine High School for evacuees needing support. 

Please avoid the area as there is a large amount of fire equipment working on this fire. 

For the most updated information please go to deschutes.org/emergency 

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, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Released By: Sergeant Jason Wall

Release Date: July 1, 2024

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office would like to again warn the citizens of Deschutes County of the recurring warrant scam hitting our area. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has taken reports recently that community members have been contacted by subject(s) requesting money for not responding to a subpoena. The caller(s) demanded the money be sent in the form of BITCOIN. The caller(s) also use numerous intimidation techniques to facilitate the payments, namely keeping the un-suspecting victim on the telephone while the payments are being made.

With the improvements in technology, Law Enforcement has recognized the subjects involved in these scams are able to utilize local Oregon phone numbers, specifically the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office main line, making the scam appear legitimate.

Law enforcement will never contact a citizen and ask for money to clear up a warrant or any other legal matter. 

Citizens should always be skeptical of any situation where an unfamiliar person is asking for money over the telephone.

Unfortunately, we have had community members fall victim to this scam in the past and we would like to prevent anyone else from falling victim in the future. 

Consider talking with a neighbor, calling a friend or family member and/or sharing this information on social media. The best way to prevent someone from falling victim to this scam is through education.

If you have fallen prey to this or similar scams and have lost money as a result, please contact Deschutes County 911 Dispatch non-emergency, 541-693-6911.

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 over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 263 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 178 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Released by: Sergeant Thomas Lilienthal

Release Date: June 27, 2024

Location: 6000 Block of SW Jaguar Ave, Redmond, OR / Odell Butte, Crescent, OR

Arrested: Max Hite, 67-year-old male, Redmond, OR 

Charges: 

• 10x Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree ORS 163.684
• 10x Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree ORS 163.686
• 1x Encouraging Sexual Abuse of an Animal ORS 167.341

NARRATIVE:

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office ICAC unit received several Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding accounts on multiple social media platforms that were distributing Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM). After several subpoenas and search warrants, Max Hite was identified as the operator of these accounts.

On June 27th, 2024, detectives with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office ICAC unit, as well as detectives with the Criminal Investigations unit, Street Crimes unit, Digital Forensics unit, Oregon State Police ICAC detectives, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Redmond Police Department Digital Forensics, and United States Marshalls Service (USMS) unit served a search warrant at Hite’s residence. 

During the execution of the warrant, it was learned that Hite was working on Odell Butte. Several digital devices were seized from his residence before detectives traveled to Odell Butte to locate and arrest Hite. Hite was located on Odell Butte, placed under arrest, transported to the Deschutes County Adult Jail, and booked on the aforementioned charges. Additional digital devices were seized from Hite after his arrest.

Further search warrants will be sought for the analysis of the seized digital devices, which may result in future charges being filed.

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, 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 over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Sisters

Released by: Lt. Chad Davis 

Release Date: 6/25/24

Driver #1: Beckwith, Todd       Age: 56

                  La Pine, Oregon

Vehicle #1: 2015 Dodge Ram Pro Master City van

Pedestrian/ victim:  72 year old female

                       Beaverton, Oregon

Date/ Time of Occurrence:   6/24/24 at 6:25 p.m. 

Location:  East Cascade Avenue at North Spruce Street, 

                 Sisters, Oregon

NARRATIVE:

On 6/24/24 at 6:25 p.m., deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the intersection of East Cascade Avenue and North Spruce Street in Sisters for a crash involving a pedestrian. 

This crash occurred when a westbound 2015 Dodge Ram van, driven by Todd Beckwith, failed to yield to the pedestrian, who was crossing East Cascade Avenue with her husband at N. Spruce Street.  The pedestrian’s husband was carrying an orange pedestrian safety flag at the time. These flags are placed at busy intersections to aid pedestrians in crossing Cascade Avenue safely. 

The pedestrian was seriously injured in the crash, therefore medics with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District responded to the scene.  

Medics summoned an air ambulance to respond to the Sisters Airport, where the pedestrian was then flown to St. Charles Medical Center with serious injuries. 

Beckwith was later cited for Failing to stop or remain stopped for a pedestrian, Careless Driving and for Driving Uninsured. 

Cascade Avenue was closed for about twenty minutes while medics attended to the pedestrian and for the crash investigation.  The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Black Butte Ranch Police Department.

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, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

## End of Release ##

Released By: Sergeant Jason Wall

Release Date: June 20, 2024

Location: U.S.F.S. Road 1028, south of Skylight Cave

Deceased: 14-year-old female (name withheld), 14-year-old male (name withheld)

Involved Juveniles: 15-year-old female (name withheld), 15-year-old male (name withheld)

Narrative: 

On June 19th, 2024, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a report of a dirt bike crash on U.S. Forest Service Road 1028, south of Skylight Cave. Four juveniles were riding dirt bikes on U.S. Forest Service Road 1028, when two of the juveniles did not arrive at their destination. These juveniles were riding in pairs on two dirt bikes. Two of the riders checked the area and located the other two juveniles, who had crashed their dirt bike and were seriously injured.

The juveniles on scene began life saving efforts and contacted 911. A passerby assisted the juveniles until deputies arrived and took over life saving measures. Paramedics arrived a short time after the deputies, continuing life saving measures. Both juveniles were wearing helmets at the time of the crash, speed and variable terrain appear to be factors in the crash. Both juveniles were pronounced deceased at the scene. 

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office detectives responded to the scene, assisted by the Oregon State Police, who conducted a crash reconstruction. A medical examiner also responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.

At this time the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office will not be releasing the names of those involved, as they are juveniles. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has made official notice to the involved families.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Oregon State Police, Black Butte Ranch Police, and the Sisters Fire District.

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 over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 263 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 178 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.