Mark Mahoney

A Bend man was arrested last week after allegedly stealing multiple women’s coats and using them for his sexual gratification.

Mark Mahoney, 51, is accused of stealing 10 coats from Central Oregon Community College and one coat from Oregon State University-Cascades since November 2015, according to Bend Police.

“These are smaller coats coming from females, and the suspect was using them for sexual gratification,” Bend Lt. Clint Burleigh said.

Bend Police received a report Nov. 7 from a female student at Central Oregon Community College saying her coat was stolen from inside the Barber Library.

Bend Police officers then contacted the community college’s Campus Public Safety about the theft. The campus security said several similar thefts had been happening since November 2015 inside the Barber Library. Over the past two years, the thefts had been reported sporadically to campus security or Bend Police, and in some cases both.

Campus Public Safety conducted an independent investigation and identified Mahoney as the suspect in the theft cases.

Bend Police contacted Mahoney Nov. 8 at his residence in southeast Bend. Mahoney admitted to stealing several high-end winter coats since 2015, according to police.

Police found many of the coats in Mahoney’s house or in his vehicle. One of the coats belonged to the woman who reported her coat stolen Nov. 7.

Police learned Mahoney allegedly had stolen two coats from the same victim while she was at the Barber Library on two different days.

Mahoney was arrested and booked into Deschutes County jail on three charges of second-degree theft and two charges of second-degree criminal mischief.

Others who had a similar theft occur at the COCC Barber Library or OSU-Cascades campus are encouraged to call Bend Police at 541-693-6911.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, 
kspurr@bendbulletin.com