News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Being arrested for drunk driving was just the start of a very bad weekend for Rodney Allen Stambaugh of Sisters. Before the weekend was over, Stambaugh, 35, had his truck seized by police, saw his house burn down and was arrested a second time for allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend.
Stambaugh was stopped by Sisters police at 1:55 a.m. Saturday, December 7, and was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants. According to police reports, Stambaugh's blood-alcohol content was .15 percent when he was tested at Deschutes County Jail.
Police reports indicated that Stambaugh had a prior DUII arrest and, because of that prior arrest, Stambaugh forfeited his vehicle, a 1988 Chevrolet pick-up truck.
According to police, Stambaugh was booked and released and driven back to Sisters by his former girlfriend.
At 6:59 a.m. that morning, Cloverdale and Sisters fire units responded to a fire at Stambaugh's trailer home at 67390 Highway 20 east of Sisters. Stambaugh was not at the scene, but arrived later as the trailer was engulfed in flames.
According to Cloverdale Fire Chief Chuck Cable, the fire was caused when old aluminum wiring in the trailer's furnace failed, causing sparks that ignited cumbustibles around the furnace. Cable said that by the time the first Cloverdale units arrived on scene, the trailer was fully involved.
The Sisters fire crew summoned the fire district's chaplain to take an allegedly upset Stambaugh from the scene for counseling.
That night at 9:45 p.m., a Deschutes County Deputy and Sisters Police officer responded to a call from Allen's girlfriend at her home on Brooks Camp Road in The Pines.
According to Sisters Police reports, Stambaugh allegedly "became violent, broke two windows out of the house and was removed by a neighbor."
The officers allegedly located Stambaugh asleep in a camper at the site of his residence at 11:25 p.m.
He was arrested on charges of menacing and Criminal Mischief III and lodged in Deschutes County Jail.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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