Suicide Pilot Was Facing Felony Charges

A pilot who authorities say intentionally crashed the Cirrus SR22 he was flying in central Oregon on Wednesday had just been indicted on felony charges of invasion of privacy. Stephen Nicholas Charlton, 48, of Bend, Oregon, brought the Cirrus down in a remote area in front of police and first responders on Tuesday. He had been orbiting the area for about five hours before he apparently decided to end it all in a wooded area. He had limited contact with authorities on the ground, saying he would speak only with members of his family. Authorities locked down the area and even had the military ready to respond. “Due to uncertainty surrounding the situation, multiple agencies coordinated a comprehensive precautionary response to ensure public safety. This included the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team, the FBI, FAA, Bend Fire & Rescue, Central Oregon Irrigation District, and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI was also in contact with the Air Force base in Klamath Falls,” the Des Chutes County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.

According to KTVZ, Charlton was arrested last week and released on a $10,000 bond and a grand jury returned an indictment on Aug. 4, and Charlton took off from Bend Airport about 1:30 p.m. the next day. The indictment included five identical charges relating to alleged video recordings of two naked people without their consent. The conditions of his release included not having recording equipment in his possession and not contacting others involved in the case.