Child rescued after wild chase from La Pine to Redmond: DCSO

REDMOND, Ore. — A La Pine woman accused of taking her 9-year-old daughter from the Portland area without the father’s permission appeared in court Tuesday after allegedly leading police on a wild 30-minute chase from La Pine to Redmond the night before, Deschutes County prosecutors said.

Charity Lynn Carter, 46, is charged with two counts of custodial interference, attempting to elude police, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and criminal mischief, according to Deschutes County Court records. Judge Bethany Flint ordered Carter held on $25,000 bail, which means she must pay at least $2,500 to be released. She’s also not allowed to have any contact with the child.

A prosecutor with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office said in court that this stems from a custody battle dating back to 2019 and that the father was awarded sole custody of the girl in 2024. Carter took the child from Portland without the father’s permission, the prosecutor said.

In a statement to KOIN-TV in Portland, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said it learned on Dec. 5 that the child had been taken and began searching places the mother may have stayed in order to find the child.

MCSO said it had no indication the child was being harmed or was in imminent danger and that the case did not rise to the level of issuing an AMBER Alert. It did put out an alert in a law enforcement database stating a welfare check on the child was needed.

Monday’s pursuit

According to DCSO Public Information Officer Jason Carr, Oregon State Police responded to a report of custodial interference and kidnapping out of Multnomah County. Troopers allegedly attempted to stop Carter’s vehicle around 8:00 p.m., but she didn’t pull over and began driving erratically. The prosecution said in court that Carter made multiple U-turns during the chase.

Deschutes County deputies joined the chase as Carter drove north of Bend into Redmond, continuing to drive recklessly, Carr said. Deputies backed off multiple times to concern over public safety.

Carr said Carter intentionally hit and damaged five law enforcement vehicles. That included three DSCO vehicles that had to be towed due to extensive damage. She also allegedly collided with two civilian vehicles in the Redmond Safeway parking lot.

Deputies used a PIT maneuver to end the chase on Highway 97 near Hemlock Avenue in Redmond, Carr said. The chase ended at 8:36 p.m. The child was rescued and was being reunited with her father. K9 Delta assisted in the arrest.

Northbound Highway 97 in Redmond was closed for about 30 minutes for the investigation and cleanup. There were no reports of injuries.

MCSO clarified Tuesday that it did not consider this a kidnapping case, but rather custodial interference. It said the suspicion of kidnapping originated from Deschutes County “when it was alleged the mother eluded law enforcement with the child inside.”