Suspect Arrested For Hit And Run On Pedestrian And Weapons Offense In Sisters (Photo) -05/21/25

Suspect arrested for hit and run on pedestrian and weapons offense in Sisters 

Released by: Lt. Chad Davis

Release Date: May 21, 2025

Date/ Time of incident: 5/21/25 at 10:50 a.m.

First incident Location:  West Hood Avenue and Highway 20, Sisters, Oregon

Second incident location:  Mainline Station, 1001 West Rail Way, Sisters, Oregon

Arrestee: Virgen-Chavez, Daniel                    Age: 29

                      Sisters, Oregon

Pedestrian victim: 35 year old male, Sisters, Oregon

Weapons offense victim:   46 year old male, Sisters, Oregon

Charges:   Assault II, Fail to Perform the Duties of a Driver involving injury, Unlawful Use of a Weapon,  Menacing, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering, and Disorderly Conduct II.

Narrative:

On 5/21/25 at approximately 10:50 a.m., deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported hit and run involving a vehicle versus a pedestrian in the area of West Hood Avenue and Highway 20 West in the city of Sisters.  911 dispatch advised a gold-colored sedan had driven up onto the sidewalk at this location in the on-coming lane and struck a pedestrian.  Several citizens witnessed the vehicle strike the pedestrian and later provided statements to deputies.

The sedan was seen leaving the area westbound on Highway 20.   Deputies responded to the scene and evaluated the pedestrian and began to search for the suspect vehicle.   

The pedestrian had minor injuries and refused treatment from medics from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. The pedestrian victim was identified as a 35-year-old male resident of Sisters.  He received minor scrapes and abrasions from being struck by the driver’s side mirror of the suspect vehicle and was able to walk away from the scene.

At 10:56 a.m., a separate 911 call was received from the Mainline Station (1001 Rail Way), where there was a reported dispute involving a male subject brandishing a knife.  Prior to a nearby deputy arriving at Mainline Station, the subject with the knife was seen leaving in a gold-colored sedan.   Deputies were able to locate the gold sedan near the original hit and run scene, where they performed a high-risk vehicle stop.   The suspect complied and was taken into custody without incident.   The suspect was identified as Daniel Virgen-Chavez and later lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail on the above charges. 

The investigation determined after Virgen-Chavez had struck the male with his vehicle, he drove to Mainline Station, where he got into a separate argument with 46-year-old male resident of Sisters.  Virgen-Chavez brandished a folding knife at the second male while having a verbal confrontation with him.  Staff at Mainline Station called 911 to report this dispute.   Eventually, Virgen-Chavez left Mainline Station in his vehicle and drove eastbound on Highway 20, where he was located by deputies and taken into custody.  Neither of the victims had any prior affiliation with Virgen-Chavez.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by officers from the Black Butte Ranch Police Department and medics from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is a full-service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

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Click It Or Ticket Seat Belt Safety Campaign (Photo) -05/16/25

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2025

CONTACT: Lieutenant Chris Erhardt

Click It or Ticket Seat Belt Safety Campaign Reminds Drivers:

Buckle Up May 19 - June 1, and Every Day

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Community Action Target Team, will be participating in “Click it or Ticket Seat Belt Safety Campaign.” Beginning Monday, May 19th and extending through Sunday, June 1st, law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon will use federally funded enforcement hours to educate the public about safety belt and child seat laws including a law passed in 2017 increasing safety for children under age two.

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2022, 1,697 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 16 percent were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four to eight year olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.

• Of the 23,959 passenger vehicle occupants killed in the United States in 2023, nearly 50% of those killed were not buckled.

• In 2017 an Oregon law was passed requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” in height and the adult belt fits them correctly.

• The 2017 law, which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to age two, will better protect the child’s head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries. This is because a rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head.

• Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers. Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle; being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly.

• For help selecting or installing child car seats, consult the seat manufacturer’s instructions, your vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#inspection-inspection

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County. 

Distracted Driving Awareness Month (Photo) -05/13/25

Date: May 13, 2025

Released by: Lieutenant Chris Erhardt

Members of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Community Action Target Team (CATT) participated in “Put the phone away or pay” campaign. During the month of April members of CATT focused specifically on distracted driving, however, did stop motorist for other violations. As a result, CATT members stopped 93 motorists, resulting in 63 warnings, 33 citations, and 4 arrests. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office urges motorists to put the phone away and focus on the roadway. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office will continue to focus on the five fatal behaviors that cause crashes: lane safety, occupant safety, distracted driving, speed, and impaired driving. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County. 

Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Provides Free Shred Event In La Pine (Photo) -05/13/25

Release By:  Lt. Bryan Husband

Release Date:  May 13th, 2025

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of Republic Services, will be providing a free shred event this Saturday, 05/17/25, 10am-12pm, at our La Pine substation, 51340 Hwy 97. This information can also be located on the DCSO website (sheriff.deschutes.org) under the Community/Public Notices tab.

This is a residential free shred event and is not intended for business/commercial shredding. We can accept paper clips and staples but cannot take plastic bags or three ring binders. We are asking that people limit the number of documents to be shredded to no more than four boxes. If you have more than four boxes of material to be shredded, we are asking that you contact Republic Services at 541-352-2263 to determine how to dispose of your items.

 
Medications accepted are prescription, patches, ointments, over the counter, vitamins, samples, and medications for pets.

NO SHARPS, THERMOMETERS, INHALERS, ETC.
 
This event also provides an opportunity for flag disposal. If anyone has an old tattered American flag, they would like properly disposed of it can be done at these events.  Food donations are also accepted during the event, which will go to a local foodbank.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is a full-service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Level 3 Sex Offender Arrested -05/06/25

Released by: Sergeant Thomas Lilienthal

Release Date: May 5, 2025

Location: Bend, OR

Arrestee: Emily Fawkes, AKA Jeffrey Yaeger, 45-year-old, Level 3 Sex Offender

Charges:

• 3x Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree ORS 163.686 (Felony)
• 1x Probation/Parole Violation ORS 137.545 (Felony)

NARRATIVE:

In November of 2024, Deschutes County Parole and Probation contacted the Bend Police Department regarding Emily Fawkes being in violation of their supervision requirements. Bend Police Department Officers were able to locate Fawkes at BiMart in Bend. Fawkes was taken into custody for Probation/Parole Violation.

While being taken into custody, Bend Police Officers located a tablet in Fawkes’s possession, which is an additional violation of their Probation/Parole conditions. Deschutes County Parole and Probation Officers developed information that the tablet located in Fawkes’s possession was utilized to consume Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) while in their possession. Deschutes County Parole and Probation Officers and Bend Police Officers informed the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit. ICAC Detectives wrote a search warrant to both seize and analyze the device and Fawkes was lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail for Probation/Parole Violation.

Over the next several months, Redmond Police Department Digital Forensics completed the analysis of data on Fawkes’s tablet, locating Child Sex Abuse Material and other information consistent with Fawkes seeking both Child Sex Abuse Material and contact with children online. On April 29th, 2025, while Fawkes was still lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail, additional crimes of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree were charged against Fawkes.

Fawkes is a level 3 registered sex offender for a child sex crime and is on post-prison supervision for a child sex crime as well. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Deschutes County Parole and Probation, the Bend Police Department, and the Redmond Police Department for their partnership and investment in protecting the children of our community.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is a full-service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Planned Deschutes Alerts Countywide Test Message (Photo) -05/05/25

PLANNED DESCHUTES ALERTS COUNTYWIDE TEST MESSAGE

Date: May 5, 2025

Released by: Lt. Nathan Garibay

DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. – On Wednesday, May 7 around 1 pm, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Deschutes County 911 will be sending a test message to people signed up for Deschutes Alerts.

Deschutes Alerts is the notification system we use to alert people of emergencies and evacuations in Deschutes County. We use Deschutes Alerts to send subscribers a message via smart phone app, text, email or phone call. If you live or work in Deschutes County, you should sign up for Deschutes Alerts and make sure your information is current. Change or create your Deschutes Alerts profile by visiting deschutesalerts.org.

The purpose of Wednesday’s test message is to ensure subscriber profiles are current. There's no need to contact us if you receive the message on May 7. 
 

If you have questions before or after May 7, you can call our office at 541-388-6501. We can help you confirm or make changes to your Deschutes Alerts profile right over the phone. 

If you don’t get the message within a few hours of the test, or if you want to talk to us about Deschutes Alerts or change your profile, we will have a call center open between 1pm and 4:30pm on May 7. You can reach the call center by calling 541-550-4888. After 4:30pm, the call center will have a voicemail box set up for you to leave your name and number and we will reconnect with you as soon as possible

You do not need to wait until May 7 to sign up or make sure your information is up to date. You can update or create your Deschutes Alerts profile any time by visiting deschutesalerts.org

We have developed a Deschutes Alerts Frequently Asked Questions page that you can visit here, or call our office at 541-388-6501.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County. 

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Deschutes County Man Arrested For Aggravated Animal Abuse (Photo) -04/30/25

Deschutes County Man Arrested for Aggravated Animal Abuse

Date: April 30, 2025

DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. – A 75-year-old man from the unincorporated area of Deschutes County has been arrested in connection with an animal abuse investigation involving a 5-month-old Dachshund puppy.

On April 26, 2025, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy and animal control officer responded to a report of alleged animal abuse in the 15000 block of Sparks Drive in south Deschutes County. A witness reported seeing a resident beating a dog with a shovel and indicated that the incident was captured on video.

Deputies contacted the suspect, identified as John Coe Richardson, 75, of La Pine, Oregon. Richardson was uncooperative during the initial contact, and deputies could not seize the dog then. In the meantime, the case was forwarded to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office for legal review.

On April 29, deputies began coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office to develop a safety plan to make contact and arrest Richardons. On April 30, at approximately 12:50 p.m., deputies located Richardson in the La Pine area and took him into custody without incident.

Three dogs, including the victim animal, were safely removed from Richardson’s possession and transported for evaluation. The animals have been lodged with the Central Oregon Humane Society for additional care and support.

Richardson was lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail and is facing the following charges:

• ORS 167.322 – Aggravated Animal Abuse in the First Degree (Class C felony)

• ORS 167.325 – Animal Abuse in the Second Degree

The investigation is ongoing and additional information may be released in the future. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 193 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County. 

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