Drugs and Stolen Fire Equipment Discovered in Hillsboro

Suspect Mitchell was discovered to be already in custody at the Washington County Correctional Facility.

One of the two suspects is Tanner Mitchell. He is currently lodged in the Washington County Jail.

(McMINNVILLE, Ore.) - Potential suspects from the burglary that occurred at the West Valley Fire Department facility in Willamina on June 25th have been pinpointed, and the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Crime Response Team (CRT) served a search warrant at residence in NE Hillsboro on Tuesday.

After receiving intelligence from the Grand Ronde Tribal Police regarding another burglary and theft of power tools that had occurred at the Spirit Mountain Casino in late June, CRT investigators identified the suspects as 21-year old Tanner Mitchell and Koa Howe, both of Hillsboro.

It was learned that Mitchell was currently incarcerated at the Washington County Correctional Facility on charges stemming from a home invasion robbery in the City of Hillsboro.

Detective Jacob Herr authored a search warrant which was served around 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The search warrant was executed without incident.

CRT investigators located and recovered nearly all the property stolen from the West Valley Fire Department burglary which included medical supplies, radios, and protective equipment.

In addition to the stolen property, a commercial drug amount of methamphetamine, illicit prescription pills, and evidence of delivery of a controlled substance was located. Property stolen from the Spirit Mountain Casino was located as well.

“This was fantastic work by all involved”, said Yamhill County Sheriff Tim Svenson.

“It’s always satisfying to be able to recover stolen property and return it to the proper owner. This was expensive equipment, paid for by taxpayers, and the fact these thieves will be held accountable is outstanding.”

The evidence in this case will be presented to the Yamhill County District Attorney’s Office with a request to prosecute. The investigation continues, and arrests are expected.

Source: News release/Yamhill County Sheriff's Office