A Bend man was jailed for drunk and reckless driving after crashing his car in downtown Bend. At approximately 1:46 a.m. on Monday, April 24, 2023, a Bend Police officer on patrol near the intersection of NW Bond Street and NW Franklin Avenue saw a black Dodge Challenger driving west on Franklin. The car traveled through the intersection without stopping at the flashing red light, then accelerated north on Bond Street.
The officer attempted to get behind the car to pull it over for a traffic violation, but the Challenger was going approximately 70 MPH in a 20 MPH zone and the officer determined it was unsafe to pursue the vehicle. The officer observed the Challenger speed through the flashing red light at the intersection of Bond Street and Oregon Avenue, then continue along Bond Street through the intersection of Greenwood Avenue before hitting something and going airborne. The vehicle collided with the steel pergola outside Deschutes County Circuit Court at 1100 NW Bond Street.
The driver, identified as 30-year-old Bend man, exited the Challenger. After an investigation and field sobriety tests, he was taken into custody on suspicion of DUII and was taken to St. Charles Bend for medical evaluation before being jailed on charges of DUII, reckless driving and first-degree criminal mischief.