A Bend man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the 2006 disappearance and murder of two women in Lubbock, Texas.

Mickey Weldon Patterson, 59, was arrested around noon at his home at 31 S.E. Benaiah Circle by detectives from the Oregon State Police, Bend Police Department and Lubbock Police Department, according to OSP spokesman Lt. Greg Hastings. Hastings said Oregon officers have been assisting Lubbock police with their investigation for several months.

Patterson was recently indicted in Texas on two counts of first-degree murder relating to the death of Louetta Kay Harrelson, 51, and the disappearance of Peggy Merimon, 61.

On Aug. 9 2006, the two women went missing from the Lubbock State School, a home for the mentally disabled where they both worked.

Harrelson’s body was found outside of Lubbock a few days after they disappeared, while Merimon has not been seen since.

Hastings said it’s not entirely clear how long Patterson has been in Oregon, but he was issued an Oregon driver’s license in December 2008.

Kent Ott, a Lubbock police public service officer, said the families of Merimon and Harrelson have filed a civil suit against Patterson, alleging his responsibility for their deaths. Ott said he was unsure if police have uncovered new information leading to the charges against Patterson.

Patterson is being held at the Deschutes County jail on $10 million bail. Representatives of the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office said no information was available about upcoming court appearances for Patterson or his extradition to Texas to stand trial. A search of Deschutes County Circuit Court records indicates Patterson has no criminal record locally.