redmond
Exploding-target shooter cited for sparking brushfire near Redmond
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A fast-moving brushfire that burned over 20 acres, threatened homes and prompted evacuations west of Redmond Sunday afternoon was sparked by a property owner who shot an exploding target – and was cited on two charges as a result, authorities said.
Sunday, Jul 19, 2026
Wind-driven Redmond Dry Canyon fire forces evacuations, causes damage
REDMOND, Ore. -- A fast-moving brushfire whipped by winds raced up the walls of the Dry Canyon Friday evening, forcing neighbors to flee their homes and damaging two properties before crews could get the flames under control.
Saturday, Jul 18, 2026
On a split vote, Oregon parole board denies release of Adam Thomas, last of the 'Redmond 5' in prison
BEND, Ore. — A quarter-century after five Redmond teens fatally shot and beat a Redmond woman when she arrived home, the last one still in prison — the victim's son — has lost his first bid for parole, as a state board found he had not yet fully come to terms with his role in the brutal crime.In one of the most notorious crimes in Central Oregon history, Barbara Thomas was beaten with wine bottles and shot by a 15-year-old after five teens trashed her home on the Old Bend-Redmond Highway on March 26, 2001, looking in vain for a missing set of car keys. The teens, who became known after their arrest as the 'Redmond 5,' then fled in the woman's car but were stopped and arrested at the Canadian border.The Crime and Its AftermathAdam Thomas, now 43 and one of the victim's two sons, was the oldest of the five charged teens, at 18, and the only one sentenced to life without parole as an adult. Ashley Summers, who at 15 was the youngest of the group, was one of the four granted early release in May of 2023 by the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision.The four juveniles at the time were released in 2023 under the terms of a commutation by Gov. Kate Brown, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a life sentence for violent juvenile offenders violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of 'cruel and unusual' punishment.The Parole Board's DecisionThe parole board denied Thomas's parole request on a split 2–1 vote after holding a 'murder review' hearing on April 22 at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. The board said Adam Thomas had not met the burden of proof outlined in state law and found that he 'is not likely to be rehabilitated within a reasonable period of time.' He can appeal that decision administratively, and/or again seek parole in two years.Progress Noted, But Concerns RemainThe board noted that since arriving in prison, Adam Thomas violated its rules four times between 2003 and 2016, but has had no disciplinary violations in the past decade. He has held several jobs during his prison term and obtained his GED.The board said it's clear Thomas 'is now committed to working on his rehabilitation,' but noted that he 'has a long history of self-hatred and shame regarding his brutal murder of his mother' and has not 'fully reckoned with how his emotions towards his mother were related to his brutal attack on her.'
Sunday, May 31, 2026