BEND, OR -- The report of a suspicious person around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday put High Desert Middle School into what’s now known as “SECURE” - when all students are brought inside and exterior doors are locked; although classes continued as usual. The lock-out lasted a little more than 30 minutes, until Bend Police took the man into custody.

According to BPD, officers responded after 40-year-old Thomas Lee Bear showed up at the school. Officers found him down the street from HDMS and confirmed he had a federal warrant. He was arrested and taken to the Deschutes County Jail.

Bear has an extensive criminal history, including a 2020 conviction in Deschutes County for sex abuse.