PRINEVILLE, OR -- The man suspected in a New Year's shooting at a Prineville bar was re-arrested yesterday in Jefferson County, 15 minutes before he would have been charged with Failure-To-Appear in Court. Crook County District Attorney Wade Whiting says Omar Araim jumped bail early Friday. "As they were attempting to locate him, we had filed a motion with the court to revoke his security release agreement and issue a warrant for his arrest. So, as of Friday, statewide, law enforcement agencies were actively looking for him." Then, Whiting got a call from the suspect's attorney, Monday, "We were able to negotiate the terms of his surrender. He did surrender himself just outside the Jefferson County Jail."
Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins says at the first arraignment, the judge was very clear about bail provisions. "The judge that ordered him, on the day that she set bail at $710,000, that he was to turn over his passport and that he could not leave Crook County. And then he clearly violated it. Just the fact that he turned himself in in Jefferson County tells you he wasn't in Crook."
Araim was arraigned Tuesday, and Chief Cummins says he won't be granted bail a second time. Cummins understands why some people think Araim shouldn't have been offered bail the first time, but that's not how the system works. "There's only like three times you can set 'no-bail' in Oregon. But, the Attempted Murder charge, and the Assault I charge, and the others, the lesser charges, none of them fit[s] the 'no-bail'."
Araim is accused of shooting Bend resident Nicholas Ricks several times at Crossroads Bar in Prineville, early New Year's Day. Chief Cummins says they have not yet determined a motive, though the New Year's incident was caught by surveillance cameras. "It appears from the video that he intended to shoot his victim. I just don't know why. Since the subject chose not to give a statement, which is his Constitutional right, we don't have the answer to 'why?'." Whiting tells KBND News, "The Grand Jury returned a true bill indictment on Attempted Murder, Assault I, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and 8 counts of Endangering for the other patrons that were at the bar that evening."
Araim has dual citizenship with the US and the UK.
Photos: Top - Araim's booking photo, Jan. 8, 2018
Above - Booking photo, Jan. 1, 2018
