SISTERS, OR -- A 21-year-old Bend transient faces several charges after he allegedly stole a car, crashed it and then was hit by another vehicle he attempted to steal.

According to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Joshua Buck requested a ride from the county's Stabilization Center to Sisters. When the vehicle stopped at the requested location, just before 3 a.m. Friday, authorities say Buck assaulted the driver and dragged him out of the car. He then drove off, heading west on Highway 20. Deputies were able to track the vehicle's location, as it turned onto Highway 126. 

At about 4 a.m., DCSO was advised by the Lane County Sheriff's Office of a multi-vehicle crash near Vida. LCSO contacted Buck at that crash site, where they say he was actively trying to steal a second vehicle. The driver of that car sped away, striking Buck in the process. 

Buck was arrested and treated at the hospital for his injuries. He's charged with Robbery, Assault and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle. 

BEND, OR -- Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler was in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, with the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors. "They have a homelessness task force that’s led by Karen Bass, who’s the mayor of Los Angeles, who is dealing with this, obviously, in her city and also is a former Congresswoman," Kebler tells KBND News.

"We talked to Senators, we talked to Representatives. We also talked to the Secretary of HUD, our housing department at the federal level, the Secretary of the Veterans Department, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and all of this was to say the federal government needs to invest more," she says, "Especially in housing vouchers, which is our main tool that we use to get people into housing. It helps pay the rent for people who can’t afford it. And we also need more vouchers to help us build things like Cleveland Commons, which is permanent supportive housing; which is one of the best ways to get chronically homeless people off the street and supported." Construction began on Cleveland Commons last fall, at SE Fourth and Cleveland in Bend. 

Kebler says it was an important opportunity for the group of nearly 50 Mayors to show a united front on the need for resources, "It was really great to be with Mayors from California, Nevada, Providence Rhode Island, all these other places in the country, and we all agree this is a top issue for our cities." 

She believes they were well-received, "There’s always politics in play at Washington, DC, and helping to move things forward. But, especially our Senator Ron Wyden, that we spoke to is very invested in making sure that we have also what are called Low Income Housing tax credits, which are what directly help us build affordable housing, and a child tax credit to put money back in the pockets of struggling families and help end child poverty, which is also a way to help people stay in their homes."

BEND, OR -- A motorcyclist was killed in a northeast Bend crash Thursday afternoon. At about 1 p.m., Police responded to Highway 20, just east of NE 27th Street and found the rider trapped under a vehicle. He was later identified as 48-year-old Chad Bernhardt, of Bend.

Investigators say he was hit by an SUV driven by 46-year-old Kyle Cofer, who made an illegal turn out of the Stonebriar Apartments onto Highway 20. Cofer faces several charges including manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs.

Highway 20 was closed between NE 27th and Hamby Road for several hours during the investigation.

PRINEVILLE, OR -- As Crook County voters fill out their ballots for the May 21st election, some may notice information missing from the voters pamphlet for a local measure.

Crook County Clerk Cheryl Seely says she inadvertently omitted two arguments in support of Measure 7-86, which asks if Crook County should support joining Idaho. The two missing arguments are from members of the group "Move Oregon's Border." 

She says there is no way to reissue the voters guide, although information on every Crook County race is available on the Clerk's website. You can also click HERE to read all of the arguments submitted for and against Measure 7-86.

BEND, OR -- The tri-county Central Oregon Suicide Prevention Alliance launched a new public service announcement this week, encouraging gun owners to safely store their firearms. The rate of suicide by firearm in Central Oregon is higher than the statewide average. Deschutes County Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator Bethany Kuschel tells KBND News safely storing firearms is proven to reduce risk, "Creating temporary time and distance between someone and a lethal mean, when they are in a suicide crisis, can be really effective."

Kuschel hopes the PSAs will increase awareness, "For our community, for our families and that it should just be a normal conversation. When we’re talking about secure storage, it’s finding things that work for the firearm owner, often within the home, and it’s also temporary. So, we’re not talking about mandates, so law enforcement doesn’t have to be involved."

Caroline Suiter, with Deschutes County Public Health, says gun owners were heavily involved in the campaign, "There’s been a lot of input from our communities and firearm-owning communities to help with this project." She says the ads offer different ways to keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis, "One option is just having lockboxes at home, safes at home, there’s biometric combination key locks - always changing those, periodically, if there’s youth in the home or someone who might, ongoing, struggle with certain issues. Our law enforcement agencies, it’s a location where people can go to temporarily house their firearms."

Two Spanish versions of the PSA, as well as a second one in English are expected within the next month. Click HERE to learn more about local secure storage options.