Charges dismissed against Redmond man in alleged road rage incident

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Saying allegations can’t be sustained, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced Monday he is dropping charges against a Redmond man who had been accused of road rage involving two Bend women, according to a news release.

Hummel said Jay Allen Barbeau, 49, followed a car driven by Megan Stackhouse for 1.1 miles after Stackhouse pulled in front of Barbeau’s truck in a “dangerous manner” after leaving an Avid Cider event June 1 in Bend. Barbeau then walked up to Stackhouse’s car and punched the rear window, shattering it, officials said.

Stackhouse’s passenger, Lucinda Mann, got out of the car and quickly went to the ground, but officials said medical records contradict her claim that she was thrown to the ground by Barbeau, suffering a serious injury. Barbeau also denied causing a broken bone in Stackhouse’s wrist, with his wife saying Stackhouse slammed her arm on Barbeau’s truck, officials said.

The dismissal comes after Stackhouse was charged last week with fourth-degree assault after allegedly punching a woman after twice crashing into her on Mother’s Day, according to The Bulletin. Hummel found other alleged incidents that discovered troubling results in Stackhouse and Mann’s pasts, including a June 7 one where Mann intentionally threw herself onto the hood of a car in the road and flopped to the ground after the pair drank at 10 Barrel brewery, officials said. Other unsubstantiated incidents were reported last year and in 2016, officials said.

“My job as District Attorney is to seek justice, not convictions,” Hummel said in the statement. “I have no confidence in the credibility of Mann and Stackhouse. Mann’s claimed injuries in the Barbeau case were debunked by the medical records. While Stackhouse did suffer a broken bone in her wrist, there are competing claims as to how her injury occurred and based on her lack of credibility, I cannot stand behind her version of events.”

Barbeau’s chasing of Stackhouse’s car and punching out the window was “outrageous and unacceptable,” but he had received more than enough punishment, Hummel said.

“For this, he served 11 days in jail and received national ridicule and condemnation for intentionally breaking a women’s wrist — charges that are now being dismissed,” he said.

Barbeau’s charges included second-degree assault, first-degree criminal mischief and reckless driving.

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