The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) arrested a 27-year-old Sisters man in an incident at Takoda’s restaurant in Sisters on Tuesday, January 31.

According to DCSO reports, an allegedly intoxicated Christopher Seekell was refusing to leave the restaurant, and being aggressive with the staff. At one point, Seekell allegedly made a threat about doing a school shooting. Seekell did not specify any school in this statement, according to police. Seekell also allegedly threatened to return and shoot up Takoda’s.

When staff asked Seekell to leave, he pushed a staff member and appeared he was going to assault the staff member, DCSO reports Seekell eventually left the restaurant, and the staff locked all of their doors to deny Seekell reentry Seekell then went into the parking lot, which is shared with Bi-Mart, and attempted to enter random vehicles.

Deputies arrived on scene and placed Seekell in custody without incident. Seekell was lodged at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office jail on charges of Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree; Harassment; and Attempted Unlawful Entry to a Motor Vehicle.

Following this incident, the Sheriff’s Office presented this case to the Deschutes County Threat Assessment team, who performed a threat assessment.

According to Lt. Chad Davis of the Sisters DCSO station, “The Deschutes County Threat Assessment Team, also referred to as TAT, is a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to the prevention of targeted acts of violence by adult members of the community. Through the cooperative sharing of information, resources, and the knowledge gained through training with leading experts in the field of threat assessment, the team endeavors to identify, assess, and manage situations where the risk of violence is anticipated or imminent in order to enhance the safety of the community.”

The Deschutes County Threat Assessment Team meets weekly to review cases and individuals who are referred to the team. The team consists of members from Central Oregon law enforcement agencies, the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, Deschutes County Parole and Probation, Deschutes County Behavioral Health, Bend-La Pine School District, and High Desert ESD.

The Sisters Schools superintendent notified staff of the incident in an email.

Seekell remains in custody, pending a future court date.

“Based on the investigation, it appears Seekell was under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances at the time of incident,” Davis reported.