Baker City sex offender tased after lunging at officer
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — A Baker City man who is also a registered sex offender faces several charges after lunging at officers as they tried to arrest him.
At around 4:00pm on Saturday, June 1, Baker City Police responded to a call regarding Brandon Culbertson causing a disturbance at a home on Auburn Avenue. Prior to this incident, police had discovered Culbertson was out of compliance with his sex offender registration.
Baker City officers Mark Powell and Lance Woodward confronted Culbertson on the street at around 4:35 p.m. When questioned, Culbertson said that he was no longer required to register as a sex offender based on advice from his neighbor and attorney. He also claimed he should never have been required to register.
When officers attempted to arrest him, Culbertson resisted, causing a scene and eventually fleeing. Officer Woodward and Officer Powell pursued Culbertson to near 15th & Court, who then turned and lunged at Officer Woodward. In response, Officer Woodward deployed a Taser, which partially incapacitated Culbertson.
Despite continued resistance, officers were able to secure Culbertson in handcuffs. He was checked by medics and then transported to Baker County Jail.
He’s now charged with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Disorderly Conduct II, Resisting Arrest and Escape III.
Culbertson, born April 16, 1988, was previously convicted of attempted sodomy in the first degree in 2005 and required to register as a sex offender. His probation was terminated unsuccessfully in 2007. According to Oregon law, that means your probation is over but that you did not successfully complete it. It is comparable to being dishonorably discharged from the military.
