BEND, Ore. (Jan. 4, 2026) — A 21-year-old Portland man was arrested Sunday morning after authorities say he eluded deputies during a traffic stop, then crashed a stolen pickup truck in Bend and was later found unconscious behind the wheel.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called at about 7:36 a.m. to reports of a possibly impaired driver traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 97 toward Bend. A caller told dispatch the vehicle was weaving and unable to maintain a consistent speed, authorities said.
Deputies soon spotted a Ford F-350 that had sideswiped the median on the Bend Parkway near Empire Avenue. When deputies initiated a traffic stop and contacted the driver, identified as Jaiden Robert Telford, 21, he fled the scene as officers were requesting his driver’s license, according to a joint release from the sheriff’s office and Bend Police. Deputies briefly pursued but lost sight of the truck as it continued southbound at a high rate of speed.
About 30 minutes later, at approximately 8:05 a.m., Bend Police responded to a reported crash near Northeast Eighth Street and Bennington Lane. A caller reported one of the drivers appeared intoxicated and was unable to exit the vehicle.
Officers and deputies determined the crashed vehicle was the same Ford F-350 involved in the earlier attempt to elude. For safety reasons, law enforcement pinned the truck and found Telford passed out behind the wheel. Believing he was suffering from an overdose, officers administered multiple doses of Narcan before paramedics transported him to St. Charles–Bend for medical treatment, authorities said.
Investigators later learned the pickup had been reported stolen out of Multnomah County. The driver of the second vehicle involved in the crash was not injured.
Northeast Eighth Street was closed for a short time during the response. Oregon State Police assisted Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Bend Police with the crash and DUII investigation.
Telford was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, attempting to elude law enforcement and reckless driving.
All suspects are believed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
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