BEND, OR -- Bend Police say a man stole a flashlight and loaded pistol from an unlocked pickup last week.

On March 7, Bend Police responded to a report of a vehicle break-in at the Bottle Drop on NE Second Street. The Ford Ranger pickup was unlocked in the parking lot. The vehicle’s owner reported that a variety of items, including a flashlight and a fully loaded 9mm pistol, were stolen from the truck. 

Officers reviewed surveillance footage and identified a suspect who first entered the Bottle Drop, then entered the Ford Ranger through the driver’s side door and took items before leaving the area in a mid-2000s red Kia Spectra. Investigators determined the suspect was 27-year-old Dakota Jess Tittle of Bend. Tittle is a convicted felon who is not allowed to possess or own a firearm. 

At about 1:15 p.m. on March 14, officers saw Tittle’s car in the parking lot of the Westside Tavern on NW Galveston Avenue. As he drove the car out of the parking lot, officers blocked it in and conducted a high-risk traffic stop. Tittle was arrested without incident. 

A firearm believed to be the one stolen from the pickup was found in a backpack in Tittle’s car. Its serial number was scratched off and it had been repainted. The stolen flashlight was also recovered.  

Bend Police reminds the public to never leave a parked vehicle unlocked. When parking their vehicles, people should HIDE their belongings, LOCK their vehicles and TAKE their keys with them.