Bend Police arrest man on suspicion of DUII, hit-and-run after crash with motorcyclist

Published 12:30 pm Monday, January 9, 2023

Bend Police arrested a man on Sunday who is accused of driving while intoxicated and then leaving the scene of an injury crash after a motorcyclist hit the back bumper of the man’s car.

The 47-year-old motorcyclist — who police did not identify but said was a Bend resident — was taken to St. Charles Bend after suffering serious injuries, according to a news release from the Bend Police Department.

The driver of the car, Justin Harris O’Leary, 50, of Bend, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, and hit-and-run for the crash on Cooley Road near Hunters Circle on Sunday, police said.

Police are now investigating how the crash occurred to determine who was at fault, which could result in further charges, said Sheila Miller, a Bend police spokeswoman.

Police reported that the motorcyclist was traveling west on Cooley Road at a “high rate of speed” about 3:30 p.m. and hit the back bumper of O’Leary’s car, which was traveling east and turning left onto Hunters Circle. 

Police said O’Leary left the scene, and officers reportedly found him parked in his car several blocks away, on Hunters Circle and Joseph Way.

Police conducted a field sobriety test and then arrested O’Leary, the news release stated.