Two Central Oregon residents face charges after a drug investigation led to their arrests near Madras. Early last Saturday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office stopped vehicle for traffic violations on Highway 26. Inside, officers found Katen Von Blalack of Redmond and Luke Berton Estes of Prineville. A police K9 detected drugs, leading officers to discover a commercial quantity of fentanyl, user amounts of the drug, drug paraphernalia, a scale…and cash. Blalack is charged with illegal delivery of fentanyl, while Estes faces possession charges. The operation involved multiple local law enforcement agencies on the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team.
 

A suspected serial burglar has been arrested in Deschutes County.  The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office says 36-year-old Blake Mogan, a transient from Sisters, was arrested in early December in Redmond, when deputies say he was caught driving a construction loader stolen from a nearby jobsite.  Last week, deputies found an abandoned and heavily damaged SUV belonging to the Sisters School District.  Onboard video appears to show Mogan breaking into the district's transportation building and taking the Suburban.  Then Monday, deputies found a city-owned F-450 crane truck on a forest road just outside Sisters.  Mogan was arrested again and investigators say he admitted to multiple thefts, including in Bend and Black Butte Ranch.

Wednesday morning, February 25,  authorities in Deschutes County successfully arrested 40-year-old Paul Alfred Akehurst in Sunriver following a SWAT-assisted operation. Akehurst, a Bend resident, was apprehended on several warrants, including felony counts for Criminal Driving While Suspended or Revoked, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Identity Theft. Investigators say he also faces potential charges of reckless driving and attempting to elude police after recent incidents where he allegedly fled law enforcement and endangered the public. Officials confirm Akehurst surrendered without incident and is currently held at the Deschutes County Adult Jail as the investigation continues and additional charges are considered.

Gas prices shot up this week across the Pacific Northwest… The average price for a gallon of regular in Bend ballooned a shocking 21-cents to 3.91.

KBND’s Heather Roberts takes a look behind the numbers. 

 

 

Congressman Cliff Bentz has introduced the O&C Renewal Act of 2026, aiming to prioritize timber production on more than two million acres of Oregon & California lands. Supporters, including the Association of O&C Counties and the American Forest Resource Council, back the proposal for boosting rural jobs, funding schools, and improving forest health. Congressman Bentz recently met with county commissioners in Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District, including officials from Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties, to discuss the legislation. The bill clarifies the intent of the 1937 O&C Act, focusing on sustained-yield forest management and local economic stability.

U.S. Representative Janelle Bynum is seeking re-election.  She announced this week she will pursue another term representing Oregon's 5th Congressional District.  Bynum became the first Black member of Congress from Oregon when she was sworn in last month.  She previously served as a state lawmaker. 

A 15-year-old male who left the secure J-Bar-J Youth Services facility in north Bend Sunday night has been located and arrested. The teen, on parole for aggravated assault with a weapon, was reported missing around 10:45 p.m. Sunday. Residents received alerts as deputies began searching the area. On Monday afternoon, Redmond Police responded to a call at Applebee’s, where they arrested the juvenile without incident. The youth had not followed the required release process, prompting his parole officer to issue an arrest warrant.  J-Bar-J Youth Services confirms the youth was in a secure rehabilitation program at the time.

A 54-year-old Eagle Crest man, Doug R. Greaser, is facing serious charges after a multi-agency pursuit spanning several hours in Deschutes County Friday morning. Greaser was alleged to have driven aggressively in the Sisters area, evading deputies twice and endangering public safety along Highway 20. Law enforcement deployed PIT maneuvers and spike strips before finally stopping Greaser on Eagle Crest Boulevard. Authorities say he resisted arrest but was taken into custody and transported for evaluation. Greaser now faces three counts each of felony attempt to elude and reckless driving, multiple counts of reckless endangering, as well as assault on a police officer.

The Bend city council agreed Wednesday to impose a fee of about 19-hundred dollars for new homes opting for natural gas rather than going fully electric.    

 

 

A Redmond woman, age 59, was taken into custody after investigators seized more than seven pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Jefferson County. Redmond Police Street Crimes Detectives, working with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, used a detection K-9 named Keira to search the suspect’s vehicle, uncovering a commercial quantity of the drug. Authorities say the meth was intended for delivery to Deschutes County. The suspect now faces charges of Unlawful Possession and Delivery of Methamphetamine, both involving amounts over 500 grams. She is currently held at Jefferson County Adult Jail as the investigation continues.
 

Bend Police are seeking additional victims in the case of Erick Nazario Aguirre, a 31-year-old Bend resident arrested Thursday on charges including second-degree sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor. Authorities allege Aguirre had an ongoing relationship with a 17-year-old girl and had previously been arrested for similar offenses involving the same minor last September. His record includes a 2018 conviction for luring underage girls. Detectives suspect there may be more victims and urge anyone with relevant information to contact nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.

Prices at the pump are rising … In Bend, the average went up 10-cents this week, to 3-70.

And, as KBND’s Heather Roberts reports, drivers can expect them to remain elevated for at least a couple of months. 

 

 

The Humane Society of Central Oregon is asking for your help in tracking down a stolen trailer filled with disaster supplies.  The trailer was taken Saturday evening.  Surveillance video shows a white van that appears to stake out the lot earlier in the day. It returned after 8 p.m. and left, pulling the HSCO trailer. Inside the white cargo trailer were supplies to respond to a disaster, including wire crates, pet beds, tables and chairs. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bend Police.

A new level of privacy is coming to Central Oregon’s sex offender registration process. Starting this week, the Redmond Police Department will debut a dedicated, private entrance and office specifically for sex offender registration. The initiative was spurred after an incident several years ago when a mother and young child encountered a registrant in the public lobby. The department’s new facility, opened last summer, now has space designed to protect the privacy and comfort of all visitors. Registration hours will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., no appointment needed. Registrants don’t have to be Redmond residents. All information still goes to Oregon State Police.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has wrapped up its participation in the national Click It or Ticket campaign, which emphasized seat belt safety and proper child car seat use. Over the two-week period, deputies conducted 51 traffic stops, resulting in 7 seatbelt violations, 12 additional citations, 30 warnings, and 3 arrests. Sheriff Ty Rupert highlighted that the campaign’s true aim is education, not simply issuing tickets. He urges everyone to make safety a habit, emphasizing that seat belts and car seats are crucial for preventing tragedies. For guidance on child car seat safety, visit the Sheriff’s Office website.

Oregon continues down the wrong slope … toward the worst snow year on record.

And, as KBND’s Heather Roberts reports, it could bring serious consequences this summer. 

 

 

Deschutes County officials are set to discuss expanding curbside recycling to rural areas currently lacking the service.

The proposal would add a six-dollar monthly fee for residents south of Sunriver and areas north and east of Bend, Redmond… and Sisters.

A public hearing will be held today (Wed) as part of the commissioners’ regular meeting starting at 9 a.m. in Bend…with both in-person and online attendance options.

More details are available on the county’s official website.

 

In the early morning hours Sunday, Deschutes County Sheriff Deputies responded to a stolen vehicle crash that knocked out power on NW Poplar Avenue.

Later, a suspect was found Tucker Tyree asleep in a motorhome inside a nearby shop after a reported burglary.

Tyree, 31, faces several charges, including burglary and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Law enforcement—including Oregon State Police and a Bend Police K9 Unit—made the arrest without incident.

 

A Deschutes County Search and Rescue team found two men, ages 18 and 20, who were lost off the Green Lakes Trailhead past Mt Bachelor Saturday night.

Volunteers reached them using snowmobiles and snowshoes, providing warming supplies.

Both were unharmed.

Authorities urge everyone to know their route, check conditions, and bring emergency devices when exploring the backcountry.

 

 

Redmond Police have arrested two local residents following the discovery of over a pound of methamphetamine during a Wednesday evening traffic stop.

Detection K9 Sadie alerted officers to the drugs, leading to charges for unlawful possession and delivery of meth.

Both suspects, a 45-year old male and 43-year old female, are now in custody at the Deschutes County Jail.

RPD credited the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team for their support in the case, highlighting K9 Sadie’s ongoing role in combating drug crime in the area.

Despite this winter's lighter-than-normal snowpack, seasonal closures remain in effect for multiple forest roads and wildlife range areas. Kaitlyn Webb with the Forest Service says restrictions aim to protect vulnerable roads and trails from damage, and include bans on motorized vehicles, snowmobiles, and electric bikes. Affected zones include land west of Bend, northeast of Sisters, and southeast of La Pine. These measures help maintain vital foraging habitats for wildlife, even as the region experiences milder weather. The closures run through March 30, while the Forest Service continues to use the dry spell for ongoing pile burning operations.

Oregon’s snowpack has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1981, raising concerns for agriculture and wildfire risks. Hydrologist Matt Warbritton points to unusually warm temperatures since October, paired with below-average precipitation, as the main reasons for the decline. The low snowpack may leave eastern Oregon farmers with water shortages this summer and could intensify the upcoming wildfire season. There is hope that February and March—typically peak months for snowfall—could help restore some balance. However, Warbritton warns that the pressure is now on the next few storms to deliver substantial snowfall quickly.

A crash over the weekend on Highway 22 near Idanha injured the superintendent of the Sisters School District and killed his wife. Oregon State Police say Curtiss Scholl was driving westbound on Highway 22 when he tried to pass another vehicle and lost control, striking a tree. Scholl was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital. His passenger, Kellie Scholl was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

In Prineville early Saturday morning, a driver in a silver Ford F-350 led police and sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit through city streets, an alley… and a high school parking lot before crashing through a fence.

The vehicle was later found abandoned in southeast Prineville and has been impounded.

20-year-old Kaleb Goozee, of Prineville, was arrested at 9:30 Monday morning. 

No injuries were reported, but several properties were damaged.  Goozee was charged with:

Attempting to Elude Police 

Reckless Driving 

Reckless Endangering of Another x3 

Criminal Mischief II x3 

Fail to Perform the Duties of a Driver x3 

Goozee was lodged in the Crook County Jail.