BEND, Oregon (AP) – He had everything going for him: a job and good career path in law enforcement in a scenic Oregon mountain town, the trust of his colleagues, a wife and a house. Then one recent night, police say, he killed a young woman.
Edwin Lara then traveled to the state capital, kidnapped another woman and took her to California, where he shot a man and carjacked a vehicle with three people inside, police allege. After a chase over 100 mph on the main freeway along the West Coast, the California Highway Patrol arrested Lara.
Many people in Bend, where Lara worked, are reeling. A former lumber town at the foot of the Cascade Range, Bend has seen its population more than quadruple over the past 25 years to 87,000. People are drawn by its sunny climate, its hiking, skiing, fishing and cycling opportunities and by its microbreweries.
It is a friendly town, but crime, even homicide, is nothing new. Bend averaged one murder or manslaughter per year since 1985, according to FBI statistics. Police say many were related to domestic violence.
There is no indication Lara knew the young woman he is charged with killing.