Sisters man arrested for robbery, assault

A Sisters man is in custody in connection with vehicle break-ins and an assault on one victim.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, in the early hours of Saturday, July 18, a 19-year-old woman noticed that her dome light was illuminated in her parked vehicle near Angeline's Bakery.

She was returning to her car after attending a concert at the bakery.

The woman observed a male suspect in the process of stealing items from inside her vehicle. Police report that the woman recognized the suspect as Austen Stark, and confronted him.

Stark allegedly attempted to flee the area, dumping several items not belonging to the victim. In fleeing, Stark allegedly struck the woman in the head with his hand or fist.

The sheriff's office states that by using force in the commission of the theft, he committed the crime of Robbery in the Third Degree.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office learned that multiple vehicles had been broken into during the time frame when this robbery occurred. It is believed additional vehicles were also broken into, but have not yet been reported to the sheriff's office.

Deputies found and arrested Stark, and several items of stolen property have been recovered. It is also believed Stark used a stolen credit card in the Sisters area, leading to charges of ID theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.

The sheriff's office is asking anyone who may be the victim of a theft from their vehicle to contact Detective Tim Hernandez with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Detective Division at 312-6000 to report further criminal activity, or to arrange to have property recovered during this investigation to be identified and/or returned to owners.

Stark was lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on multiple theft charges, a robbery charge and a charge of fourth degree assault.

Bail was set at $55,000.