A Sweet Home man pleaded guilty last week to drug charges stemming from a case in which a Lebanon woman died from a heroin overdose.
A federal judge accepted Rockie Eugene William Morse’s guilty plea in district court in Eugene to conspiracy to distribute heroin on March 27, and Morse will appear in court on April 8 for sentencing in a case connected to the fatal overdose in October 2013.
As part of the same case, Laticia Sanchez of Sweet Home is scheduled for trial on April 28 on a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin
Morse of Sweet Home was indicted on June 10 on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school, distribution of heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Morse pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with the prosecutor.
Pleading guilty, he admitted to conspiring with Tammy Kay Tongate of Portland and others to distribute more than 100 grams or a mixture of a substance containing heroin.
In the indictment, Morse had been charged, along with Tongate, with distribution of heroin resulting in death under the federal “Len Bias” statute, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years, a maximum of life in prison and a fine of up to $2 million. He did not plead guilty to this charge.
Three others were charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute heroin, including Sanchez of Sweet Home, Nathaniel Brian Tongate-Ehlers of Portland and Joaquin Mata-Ornelas of Portland.
Tongate also was charged with possession with the intent to distribute heroin and three counts of distribution of heroin. Tongate pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin as part of an agreement on Feb. 10. She is scheduled for sentencing on May 26.
Tongate-Ehlers faced an additional charge of distribution of heroin, and Mata-Ornelas faced an additional charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Federal charges against Tongate-Ehlers were dismissed on Sept. 24 because he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance, heroin, in Multnomah Circuit Court.
The federal case is still pending against Mata-Ornelas, and he has asked his attorney to withdraw from the case following a plea offer from the government.
In four cases at Linn County Circuit Court in May 2014, prior to the federal indictment, Sanchez pleaded guilty to third-degree theft and was sentenced to 240 hours in jail and two counts of delivery of heroin and was sentenced to 20 days in jail in one and 17 months in prison in the second.
Dismissed as part of a plea agreement were delivery of meth, possession of meth, two counts of possession of heroin, three counts of delivery of heroin and supplying contraband.
On Oct. 2, 2013, Ashley Marie Ames, 25, of Lebanon was found dead. Investigators found drug paraphernalia and residue quantities of black tar heroin, according to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency news released. Prior to her death, she had been scheduled to enter drug treatment.
As a result of the ensuing investigation, the DEA and Linn County Sherrif’s Office uncovered a major influx of heroin into Sweet Home, and they arrested some 15 individuals, who faced federal and state charges.
Among them were Joseph McCaslin of Sweet Home, who pleaded guilty to delivery of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school on Dec. 17 in Linn County Circuit Court and was sentenced to 38 months in prison, and Kirsten Stevenson of Sweet Home, who pleaded guilty to delivery of heroin and was sentenced to 15 days in jail and 24 months probation.
McCaslin is held at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institute on the delivery charge and on a burglary charge. Stevenson is wanted for probation violation in a warrant issued on Feb. 20.
The “Len Bias” law is colloquially named after a first-team All-American college basketball player with the University of Maryland. He was drafted as the second pick overall by the Boston Celtics in 1986 but died two days later from a cocaine overdose. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, expanded in 1988, is known as the “Len Bias Law.” It created mandatory minimum sentencing for drug trafficking.
Devin Hansen
According to an order signed March 25, the June trial of Devin P. Hansen for murder has been stayed until he is fit to proceed, and he has been committed to Oregon State Hospital.
Hansen was arrested and charged with the Jan. 25, 2014 murder of Christine Smith, who grew up in Sweet Home and lived in Albany.
He had filed a notice of intent to rely on mental disease or defect as to the material issues in his case, according to the motion for determination of the defendant’s fitness to proceed.
Following reported mental health issues, on March 2, Hansen had some catastrophic medical issues and was rushed to the hospital in Corvallis, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
At the State Hospital, he will be evaluated to determine whether he may have the capacity to stand trial in the foreseeable future, with progress reports to the court concerning his capacity or incapacity at least every 180 days.
The maximum commitment to the State Hospital for a defendant who is unable to aid and assist in his defense is three years, according to the order.
David Fox
Charges have been dismissed in several cases against David Clinton Fox in Linn County Circuit Court, and he has been indicted on two counts in federal district court in Eugene, felon in possession of a firearm with an armed career criminal enhancement and possession of a stolen firearm.
The indictment charges that Fox possessed a stolen Glock 30 on Oct. 17, 2014.
He was arrested in Eugene on Feb. 10. He is scheduled for trial on April 15. He was scheduled for a status conference on March 30.
The complaint alleges that an off-duty deputy saw Fox while shopping at Wal-Mart in Lebanon. The deputy sent a message to a working deputy that he was at Wal-Mart. Deputies and Lebanon police officers responded to Wal-Mart to arrest Fox. During the arrest they located the stolen firearm.
On Dec. 11, deputies arrested Fox in Sweet Home on outstanding warrants, including four counts of failure to appear for unlawful possession of meth, unlawful use of a vehicle and reckless driving and a federal warrant for felon in possession of a firearm.
Fox had four open cases dismissed in Linn County Circuit Court, two from 2012 and two from 2014. In one case, on June 2, 2012, Linn County deputies arrested him following a pursuit that allegedly exceeded 100 mph. Through Sweet Home, the pursuit allegedly reached 80 mph. In that case, he faces two counts of attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and possession of methamphetamine.
In another on June 8, 2014, deputies arrested Fox after Sweet Home police terminated a pursuit on Whiskey Butte Road. In the case he faces charges of attempting to elude a police officer and possession of methamphetamine.
He also was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of methamphetamine in an Oct. 17 case and attempting to elude a police officer in a February 5, 2012 case.
The cases in Linn County Circuit Court were dismissed on Jan. 8.
Zachary Johnson
Zachary Mitchell Johnson pleaded no contest to second-degree burglary on Nov. 24 in Linn County Circuit Court.
He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, with 12 months post-prison supervision and fined $200. Dismissed were charges of second-degree criminal mischief and third-degree theft.
In a second case, on Nov. 3, he pleaded no contest to two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and was sentenced on Nov. 24 to 20 months in prison with 18 months of post-prison supervision, and fined $400. Charges of possession of a burglary tool or theft device, second-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief were dismissed.
The first case was connected to a Nov. 8 burglary at Midway Market. Police arrested Johnson and Joshua Lee Roebuck after a neighbor reported a suspicious vehicle parked nearby.
In the second case, he was arrested for the theft of a 1992 Honda Accord reported stolen from Sweet Home on Oct. 14. He and Stefani Brock were arrested near Albany.
All-Star Auto had used a tracking device it had installed to locate the vehicle.
Joshua Roebuck
In connection to the Midway burglary, Joshua Lee Roebuck pleaded no contest to second-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief on Jan. 16.
Dismissed was a charge of third-degree theft.
He was sentenced to 15 days in jail on each charge with credit for time served and 24 months probation. He was fined $200.
Zachary Short
Zachary Andrew Short pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief in Linn County Circuit Court on Dec. 8.
He was sentenced to 96 hours in jail with credit for time served and 18 months probation and fined $200 on the burglary charge. He was sentenced to 72 hours in jail with credit for time served and 18 months probation and fined $100 on the criminal mischief charge.
The charges stemmed from the burglary of the Veterans Club in September. Esteban Scott Garcia had been sentenced earlier in connection to the case.