Bend, OR. — Deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded early Saturday morning to reports of a possible impaired driver traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 97 toward Bend.
At approximately 7:36 a.m., a caller reported a Ford F-350 weaving and unable to maintain speed. Deputies later observed the truck had sideswiped the median on the Bend Parkway near Empire Avenue and initiated a traffic stop. The driver was identified as 21-year-old Jaiden Robert Telford of Portland.
While deputies were speaking with Telford and requesting his driver’s license, he suddenly fled the stop. Deputies lost sight of the vehicle as it continued southbound on Highway 97 at a high rate of speed.
At about 8:05 a.m., officers with the Bend Police responded to a crash near Northeast Eighth Street and Bennington Lane. A caller reported that one of the drivers appeared intoxicated and was unable to exit his vehicle. Officers determined the involved truck was the same Ford F-350 that had eluded deputies earlier.
For safety reasons, law enforcement pinned the vehicle and found Telford unconscious behind the wheel. Officers believed he was experiencing an overdose and administered multiple doses of Narcan. He was transported by medics to St. Charles–Bend for medical treatment.
The investigation revealed the Ford F-350 had been reported stolen out of Multnomah County. The driver of the second vehicle involved in the crash was not injured. Northeast Eighth Street was temporarily closed while emergency crews and investigators worked the scene.
The Oregon State Police assisted with the crash response and DUII investigation.
Following the incident, Telford was arrested on charges of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), Attempt to Elude, and Reckless Driving.
