A Prineville man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter following an all-terrain vehicle crash Saturday night that killed one of the passengers.

Mason Edward Stafford, 31, was allegedly driving the ATV when he crashed the vehicle after 10 p.m. Saturday on private property north of Prineville, on Barnes Butte Road, according to a news release from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office.

Sgt. Travis Jurgens of the Crook County Sheriff’s Office said the group of friends was riding the vehicle on Stafford’s property.

“Basically, it’s ranch property,” Jurgens said. “It’s a wide open area; there’s cattle out in the same area where this occurred, so we don’t know whether they were out messing around, or for sure what they were doing in the field.”

When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found one of the passengers, Tyler Robert Pierce, 22, of Prineville, had already died. Stafford was driving a Polaris Ranger 900 and after the crash, the vehicle rolled over on top of Pierce, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Two unnamed people were also reportedly riding in the vehicle at the time of the crash, and they sustained minor injuries. Jurgens said these people received treatment at Pioneer Memorial Hospital. Stafford was taken to Pioneer Memorial Hospital in a private vehicle, but he then refused treatment for his injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Stafford was arrested on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter and lodged at the Crook County jail with bail set at $50,000. Stafford has since posted bail and been released. Law enforcement personnel are continuing to investigate the incident, but they believe alcohol contributed to the crash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Prineville Police Department, Oregon State Police, Crook County Fire and Rescue and the Crook County District Attorney’s Office also assisted on the incident.

— Reporter: 541-617-7829, hborrud@bendbulletin.com