Man arrested for using found pass

Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Sisters man on Saturday, January 19, after an investigation of alleged theft of services from Mt. Bachelor.

Deputies arrested Gary Michael Pages, 40, for using another person's ski identification pass to obtain free ski lifts, according to a Deschutes County Sheriff's Office press release.

According to Chris Johnston, a Mt. Bachelor spokesman, Pages found a lost pass and used it to gain access to the lifts.

"(A) ticket agent realized he was using a teen pass," Johnston said.

The incident was first reported on January 11, and deputies investigated. Four out of four Mt. Bachelor employees identified Pages from a photo line-up, according to sheriff's office reports.

Johnston said the ski resort takes a heavy financial hit from people using others' passes or reselling lift tickets in the parking lot, which is against Oregon law.

"We estimate it to be $500,000 a year," Johnston said.

Many people don't report lost passes immediately, hoping to find the pass and avoid a $20 processing fee, Johnston said.