Blackout in Deschutes River Woods

A 14-year-old drove his parents’ SUV into a power pole and left nearly 1,600 customers without electricity in Deschutes River Woods on Thursday morning, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

Power was restored to the last 180 customers by 8:20 a.m., about eight hours after the 1994 GMC Suburban crashed into the pole at Baker Road and Brookswood Boulevard around 12:30 a.m. The driver, a boy from Bend, was apprehended, uninjured, not far from the scene, and released to his parents, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was cited for attempting to elude, a felony, along with misdemeanors of reckless driving, reckless endangerment, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief and one of second-degree criminal mischief.

Sheriff’s deputies can explain why the young, unlicensed driver took to the streets, but aren’t saying because the case involves a juvenile.

“We do have a logically understood reason why this happened,” said sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Disney. He said the explanation involved no further criminal conduct.

The boy was not drinking and he escaped the crash uninjured. “Absolutely uninjured,” Disney said. “We’re like scratching our heads in disbelief ourselves. This very easily could have been a fatal.”

The boy’s parents were unaware of his exploits and when he was delivered to their care “were very concerned for his welfare,” Disney said.

A Bend Fire Department paramedic checked the boy for injuries at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The incident began at 12:29 a.m. on Knott Road when a sheriff’s detective began following the Suburban at 15th Street, according to the Sheriff’s Office account. The SUV swerved within its lane and then crossed the double yellow center line; the detective, suspecting drunken driving, signalled the driver to pull over near the Mountain High subdivision.

The driver failed to stop, and near China Hat Road he accelerated to speeds of 75-80 mph as the chase headed for Deschutes River Woods, according to the Sheriff’s Office. More sheriff’s deputies, a Bend police officer with a police dog and an Oregon State Police trooper joined the chase, which ended when the SUV hit the power pole, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The crash severed the wooden pole and brought down the power lines, said Pacific Power spokesman Tom Gauntt. “It was a fair amount of damage.” The downed lines meant power loss to 1,585 customers in and around Deschutes River Woods. Power was restored to all but 180 by about 3 a.m., he said. The remainder were back online by 8:20 a.m.

Pacific Power typically seeks restitution for damage to its property when it involves circumstances other than the cost of doing business; “we do this to protect our customers,” Gauntt said. However, each case is different and Gauntt said he could not know whether the utility would seek restitution in this particular case. He did not estimate the cost to repair the downed pole and power lines.

After hitting the pole, the driver left the scene, but the property owner closest to the crash site showed officers the direction in which he had gone, the Sheriff’s Office said. The boy was arrested without incident, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Baker Road was closed while repairs were made. A Century-Link phone installation was also damaged.