BEND, OR -- Charges have been dropped against the Redmond man accused of assaulting two women during a Bend road rage incident. Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel says the couple claimed Jay Barbeau attacked them, breaking one woman’s wrist and giving the other a serious neck injury. "Upon further scrutiny, these allegations cannot be sustained. Therefore, I filed a motion with the court to dismiss the case against Mr. Barbeau," Hummel said Monday.
Megan Stackhouse and Lucinda Mann accused Jay Barbeau of following them June first, after they squeezed in front of his pickup in traffic. They claimed that after a mile, they pulled over, he got out of his pickup and punched out their back window, broke Stackhouse’s arm and pushed Mann to the ground nearly giving her a concussion. D.A. Hummel says evidence shows Barbeau did follow the women, after they aggressively pulled in front of him. The investigation proves he punched out their window. But, what happened after that is in dispute, "Lucinda Mann got out of the car, she approached Barbeau and quickly went to the ground. Mann says she was thrown to the ground by Barbeau and suffered a serious injury. Medical records contradict her claim." He adds, "I have no confidence in the credibility of Mann and Stackhouse. Mann’s claimed injuries in the Barbeau case were debunked by the medical records. And, while Stackhouse did suffer a broken bone – in the wrist – there were competing claims as to how her injury occurred." Barbeau's wife claims Stackhouse repeatedly slammed her arm on Barbeau's vehicle; when police arrived, she was standing on the truck's running boards.
And, Hummel says, the couple has a history of feigning injury, "On June 7, seven days after this incident, Mann and Stackhouse were drinking at 10 Barrel Brewing. When they left, Mann intentionally threw herself onto the hood of a car in the road and then flopped to the ground, making it appear that the car had struck her, when in fact Mann had launched herself on to the hood." Stackhouse faces Assault charges for allegedly hitting a car and punching the driver on Mother's Day. And, Hummel says on Halloween 2016, Mann and Stackhouse were passengers in a car involved in a low-speed crash. When police arrived, Mann was lying on the road with shallow breathing, acting unconscious. Police say her actions were not consistent with injuries she would have received in the crash.
A Go-Fund-Me Page set up by the women after the June incident raised thousands of dollars. Hummel says the investigation into their actions continues, including potential charges against Mann and Stackhouse for making false statements to police, in the Barbeau case.
Hummel says it took 11 days to file the motion to dismiss charges because of the misleading information provided to investigators. He admits Barbeau could have been charged for Criminal Mischief for following the women and breaking their car window, but feels the events of the past 11 days were punishment enough, "Mr. Barbeau was falsely accused of Assault in the second degree. He’s been ridiculed across this country and internationally. I’ve received phone calls and emails from people who wanted me to string Mr. Barbeau up, drop the hammer on him and show no mercy, because this is a big, muscular man who’s alleged to have snapped the wrist of a smaller woman."
