Police serve search warrant at ongoing reported drug house
By Mindy Gould on Wednesday, January 24th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
Bend (Released from Central Oregon Drug Enforcement)-Date: Jan. 23, 2024
Case #: 2024-003992
Incident: Police serve search warrant at ongoing reported drug house
Arrested: Scott Anthony Sims, 55-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Unlawful possession of a schedule II-controlled substance, Frequenting a place where controlled substances are used
Arrested: Timothy Emery Kempher, 44-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Frequenting a place where controlled substances are used, Felon in possession of a restricted weapon and a Parole violation – arrest warrant
Arrested: Andrew Charles Hill, 53-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Frequenting a place where controlled substances are used
Arrested: Leah Marie Carlson, 33-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Frequenting a place where controlled substances are used
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) Team concluded an ongoing, approximately one-year drug investigation today as detectives served a search warrant in the 20000 block of Willopa Court in Bend. The police have received multiple calls and reports of problems at this location, including drug activity.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23, members of the CODE team and officers from the Bend Police Department served a search warrant at the mentioned location. Police announced their presence at the front door and advised they had a search warrant, and residents started exiting the location. Police detained four people. The four people detained, and present were Scott Anthony Sims, Timothy Emery Kempher, Andrew Charles Hill and Leah Marie Carlson. The investigation revealed that illegal narcotics were being used and distributed at the location. Just two days prior, our 911 dispatch center received a call reporting someone overdosing on fentanyl powder at the same location. The person survived, but overdoses on fentanyl are a major problem across the nation. Members of the CODE team will continue to pursue these cases as each fentanyl seizure has the potential to save lives.
During the search warrant service, CODE detectives seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, steroids, digital scales and packaging material all associated with the use and distribution of drugs.
Timothy Emery Kempher had a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation and he was also in possession of brass knuckles, a restricted weapon.
Scott Anthony Sims and Timothy Emery Kempher were both transported and lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail. Andrew Charles Hill and Leah Marie Carlson were cited and issued court dates to appear.
Additional charges may be filed at a later date as this is an ongoing investigation.
Criminal complaints contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.
The CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. CODE is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) which is composed of members from the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including the CODE.
