PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a $28,752 penalty in late February to Wade Dale Ditmore of Prineville, doing business in Central Oregon using two business names (Little John’s Portable Toilet Service and Overland Pumping) for performing sewage disposal services for 10 years without obtaining the required onsite sewage disposal service provider’s license from DEQ. Ditmore recently filed an appeal within the 20 days allowed by DEQ to do so. Following ... [full story]

PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- Prineville Police are looking for two men who allegedly attacked a 45-year old woman and took her money before fleeing in a car Wednesday evening. The victim, a La Pine resident, told police two Hispanic men assaulted her and stole her money about 8:30 p.m., March 5, near N. 10th and Main Streets in Prineville, Chief Eric Bush said. The suspects then drove away in a greenish-grey sedan, possibly a Volvo or similar model. ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. -- Members of the Oregon State Police Bend Area Command are conducting a compliance sweep of local sex offenders in the Deschutes County area where a total of 581 registered sex offenders reportedly reside. Of those 581 offenders, 45 were determined to be out of compliance with mandatory state registration requirements. The compliance sweep kicked off Friday, February 29, and is expected to continue through the middle of March. Of the 45 offenders ... [full story]

A 21-year old Prineville man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a young woman Sunday, detectives reported.   Katen Blalack - CCJ photo  An unnamed 20-year-old Prineville woman contacted Crook County Sheriff’s deputies and identified the suspect, Katen Blalack, 21, Detective Sgt. Travis Jurgens said. The alleged victim reported she was assaulted at her home in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 2. Blalack was taken into custody and lodged at ... [full story]

All three counties in Central Oregon saw their unemployment rates increase from December to January, while Jefferson’s gain was less than expected. Deschutes County had the lowest rate at 7.6 percent, while Jefferson County had the highest at 9.8 percent. Crook County: The county’s unemployment rate climbed to 9.5 percent in January, up 2.2 percentage points from December. The increase was greater than expected for the month. The rate is higher than the historical lows of ... [full story]

A Prineville husband and wife were injured Saturday afternoon when their car drifted across the centerline and hit an oncoming pickup head-on, deputies reported. Crook County Sheriff’s deputies, Prineville Police officers and Fire & Rescue personnel responded to milepost 14 on Highway 126 about 5:45 p.m., March 1, Sgt. Jim Chapman and Deputy Dave Dethman stated in a news release. Upon arrival, they found the injured couple’s car, a 2001 Toyota 4-door, about 50-feet off ... [full story]

Detectives believe the four men arrested during a traffic stop late Thursday night on Highway 97 just north of Redmond, Oregon were transporting the drugs discovered in their vehicle from the Beaverton area for distribution in Madras and other Central Oregon locations.   (top left) Octavio Real Barajas, (top right) Luis Manuel Avalos Gonzalez, (bottom left) Javier Garcia Reyes, (bottom right) Ernesto Carranza - DCJ photos  Members of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team assisted Redmond Police ... [full story]

A 63-year old Prineville businessman was arrested Wednesday after an investigation into reports of “unwanted sexual contact” involving a young woman, reportedly a teenage family friend, deputies announced.   Ron Troutman - CCJ photo  According to Crook County Sheriff’s detective Sgt. Travis Jurgens, Ron Troutman, 63, and owner of the Sears store, was taken into custody about 9 a.m., February 27, after the allegations of the 18-year-old victim surfaced and the investigation resulted in probable cause for ... [full story]

Police detectives, armed with information gathered during a separate investigation, set up a surveillance operation in order to nab two alleged meth dealers they learned were planning to make a large drug delivery to the Redmond, Oregon area Friday evening.   Armando Diaz Diaz (left), Jose Castor (right) - DCJ photos  Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team detectives, Deschutes County Street Crimes Unit (SCU) members, and Redmond Police officers arrested Armando Diaz Diaz, a 35-year old Metolius ... [full story]

Deputies say it is possible that a 77-year old driver who died Saturday when his car ran off the road near Sisters, Oregon, and hit a tree may have suffered a medical-related issue prior to the crash. Deschutes County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ronny Dozier and Deputy Alan Borland said that Robert Ray Currie, 77, of Lafayette, Oregon, was wearing a seat belt and the airbag of his 1998 Ford Escort wagon deployed when he crashed near ... [full story]

Deputies believe that excessive speed and alcohol may have contributed to a two-vehicle collision Friday night on Highway 20 just west of Sisters, Oregon that sent four people to the hospital, one with serious injuries. According to Deschutes County Sheriff’s Deputy Crosswater and Lt. Utter, emergency dispatch began receiving what turned out to be multiple reports of the crash shortly after 11 p.m., February 22. Deputies, Sisters/Camp Sherman Fire District paramedics, Oregon Department of Transportation personnel ... [full story]

Three of Seven Business Fail OLCC Compliance Check on February 14BEND, Oregon – A compliance check of Central Oregon businesses by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission conducted February 14 turned up dismal results – 43 percent of those checked sold alcohol to minors. The 57 percent passing rate is well below last year’s statewide average of 78 percent. The three businesses that failed the check by selling booze to underage buyers -– Westside Texaco Food Mart ... [full story]

A 35-year old woman from Hood River was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Bend, Oregon Tuesday after she sustained leg injuries when she drove her dirt bike over a rock, lost control of the bike and ran into a tree on Geo-Millican Road in Crook County. Sheriff’s deputy Dave Dethman said Susan Stack, 35, was picked up by an AirLife medical helicopter about 3:45 p.m. at the OHV Corral staging area on the 100 ... [full story]