OSP offers in-depth look at recent cases
By Terry Murry on Thursday, January 19th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
The following is a news release from Oregon State Police Lt. Karl Farber and highlights recent efforts to crack down on property thefts:
In the fall of 2022, local law enforcement noted an increase in property theft. Patrol Officers from many jurisdictions took reports of thefts from storage units, cars, mail boxes and people’s residences. These incidents were having a significant impact on local residents and local leaders began working the cases collaboratively.
In early January, 2023, Union County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence outside of La Grande regarding the report of a residential burglary. Items were stolen from almost every room in the home, to include the children’s bedrooms, plus the victim’s vehicle from a garage and several firearms.
On January 3, 2023, co-conspirator Erick Paul Kynaston DOB-04/14/1984, from Milton-Freewater, Oregon, was arrested by Walla Walla PD, for Unlawful Use of Motor Vehicle (UUMV), in possession of the Union County victim’s stolen vehicle and some of the victim’s stolen property (including one firearm). In addition to criminal charges in Washington State, Kynaston is pending criminal charges pursuant to the burglary in La Grande, Oregon.
The Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team (BENT) began helping the Union County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the recovery of stolen property and stolen vehicles. As is the case in most large-scale organized crime networks, BENT continued identifying more and more co-conspirators. BENT learned of the identity of multiple suspects involved with burglaries and distribution of stolen property as well as distribution of controlled substances. The identified burglaries/aggregated thefts by this group had been committed throughout multiple counties in Oregon, Idaho and Washington. BENT had corroborative information about the mentioned suspect’s to be involved with the drug culture of using, distributing, and exchanging stolen property for drugs/money.
On January 5, 2023, co-conspirator, Lauren Ashley Williamson DOB-05/16/1986, from Ukiah, Oregon, was arrested in Pendleton, Oregon for a LSA arrest warrant. She was also found to be in possession of stolen property belonging to the Union County victim. Williamson is pending criminal charges pursuant to the burglary in La Grande, Oregon.
In the morning hours of January 6, 2023, co-conspirator, Cleve Barry Liston DOB-04/13/1978, from Arlington, Oregon, was arrested in possession of stolen vehicle by Walla Walla PD. A search warrant for the stolen vehicle was applied for and granted. The search warrant revealed Liston to be in possession of stolen property and a substantial quantity of methamphetamine. In addition to criminal charges in Washington State, Liston is pending criminal charges pursuant to the burglary in La Grande, Oregon.
Throughout the investigation conducted by BENT, probable cause was developed to apply for search warrants for three residences where stolen property from the Union County burglary was being stored. Two of the locations were in Ukiah, Oregon and one of them was in Pendleton, Oregon. The search warrants were reviewed by the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office, who have assisted during this entire investigation and had have been present when the search warrants were served by OSP SWAT.
In the evening hours of January 6, 2023, the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team, with the assistance of the Oregon State Police SWAT, served three residential search warrants in an attempt to arrest Joe Nathan Edward Ortega Merritt with DOB-01/06/1983, Heather Ann Estes DOB-12/11/1990 and recover stolen property. Merritt currently has numerous arrest warrants for his arrest, Parole Violation/Abscond for Burglary 1 from the State of Oregon Board of Parole/Post-Prison Supervision, FTA warrant for two class C felony FTA’s, and he is also a convicted felon according to his CCH.
During the execution of the two search warrants in Ukiah, Oregon, Merritt managed to evade and elude law enforcement in a stolen UTV side-by-side valued at $42,500.00. The stolen UTV side-by-side was later found and recovered near Dale, Oregon. Merritt and Estes were not located at the scene where the UTV was recovered. It is believed Merritt stole a vehicle from a residence of Dale, Oregon and fled the scene. Merritt is still at large and is believed to be in possession and control of firearm(s).
On January 7, 2023, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office located co-conspirator Heather Estes in John Day, Oregon, and arrested her for Umatilla County Parole and Probation Detention warrant. She was lodged into the Grant County Jail. Estes will also have pending burglary charges related to the burglary in La Grande, Oregon.
Stolen property belonging to the Union County victim was located at all three search warrant locations. Also recovered was a stolen snowmobile from a La Grande Police Department case and the UTV was found to be stolen from Tri-Cities, Washington.
On January 10, 2023, The Pendleton Police Department and BENT recovered a 34 foot stolen motorhome at the intersection of Southwest Dorian Avenue and Southwest 21st Street, Pendleton. The motorhome was stolen from Richland, Washington and was tied to several other cases out of the state of Washington. A high-risk vehicle take down was conducted at this location and 6 occupants were detained. Pending charges related to UUMV will be referred to the Umatilla County District Office and appropriate State of Washington prosecuting attorney offices. The motorhome’s value was around $20,000.00. BENT and Pendleton Police Department lodged 1 of the 6 detained people on an outstanding warrant for his arrest. BENT also recovered another stolen handgun, from a Pendleton Police Department case surrounding car prowls, from the motorhome. The person in possession of the handgun said they had traded fentanyl for the handgun. Additional charges are being referred to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office surrounding the recovered firearm and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle (stolen motorhome).
On Friday January 13, 2023, in the morning hours, BENT, with the assistance of the Oregon State Police SWAT, executed a search warrant at 80021 Ross Lane, Hermiston, Oregon. BENT seized over 50,000 purported fentanyl laced-pills, over 125 grams of purported fentanyl powder, over 5 pounds of methamphetamine, over 220 pounds of packaged marijuana, 22 firearms, of which 6 have been confirmed to be stolen, recovered a significant amount of stolen property ranging from stolen trailers, an off-road motorcycle, construction equipment including welders, generators and tools. The property owner of 80021 Ross Lane, Matthew Lee Allred, was arrested and lodged into the Umatilla County Jail.
Overall, BENT executed 5 search warrants (3 residences and two vehicles), recovered 26 firearms, arrested 13 people, and recovered well over an estimated $150,000.00 in stolen property. For all the narcotics seized in this investigation, the conservative total street value of the combined narcotics seized, if they were sold in our area, would be about $1 million dollars.
This case has involved theft/burglary cases from Richland Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office, La Grande Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Walla Walla Police Department, Pendleton Police Department, Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Hermiston Police Department, Umatilla Tribal Police Department, Twin Falls (Idaho) Police Department and the Oregon State Police.
Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team was founded in 1983 by the Oregon State Police and the Pendleton Police Department. BENT for many years worked local impact cases by focusing on street level drug dealers operating in Umatilla and Morrow Counties. BENT was eventually joined by other agencies within Umatilla and Morrow Counties. Due to the sophistication of Organized crime organizations, BENT found jurisdictional limitations and resource issues inhibited their ability to pursue large-scale investigations such as this. Therefore, BENT began to work more closely with law enforcement agencies in Walla Walla, Tri-Cities and Yakima, Washington as well as the FBI in an attempt to improve efficiencies and effectiveness.
This case highlights BENT’s ongoing commitment of working toward creating safer communities we serve. BENT leadership is always working to balance our investigative time and energy making a local and regional impact on criminal activity. It is our goal at BENT to always take the case as far as we can in an effort to continue dismantling and/or disrupting organizations that are victimizing our communities.
It has been said, “Why is BENT in the business of working Drug Trafficking Organizations (or DTO’s)?” we can only answer this question based on my opinion. Umatilla County is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). As such, we are federally funded and cross deputized by the FBI. The Oregon HIDTA Program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.
The mission of BENT is to reduce drug use and related criminal activity within Umatilla County and Morrow County and its incorporated cities by identifying, disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations (DTO’s). More specifically, to reduce substance abuse, drug related crimes (including violent person crimes), local drug production and drug trafficking into and out of Oregon through Umatilla County and Morrow County on public highways.
This case highlights BENT’s ongoing commitment of working toward creating safer communities. BENT is staffed by two full-time supervisors: Pendleton Police Sergeant (1) and Oregon State Police Sergeant (1), nine full-time narcotics detectives: Oregon State Police Detectives (2), Pendleton Police Department Detective (1), Hermiston Police Department Detective (1), Milton-Freewater Police Department Detective (1), Morrow County Sheriff’s Office Detective (1), Umatilla Tribal Police Department Detective (vacant), Boardman Police Department Detective (1) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (1).
Due to the nature of the work BENT does, it is not often advertised what BENT is doing. This is calculated. Having said that, over the last few months, BENT has been working a Drug Trafficking Organizations that are responsible for the distribution of Methamphetamine, Heroin and Fentanyl throughout Eastern Oregon including but not limited to Baker County, Union County, Grant County, Wallowa County, Umatilla County, Morrow County and parts of Idaho and Washington. As BENT has always done we will continue to work with all our Law Enforcement partners with the goal of making our communities safer and a better place to live.
This release was corrected to show that Joey Merritt was born in 1983.
