As most citizens of Oregon realize, police departments cannot search a private residence without first obtaining a search warrant authorizing the intrusion. Some searches come up empty, but the Eugene Police Department recently executed a search pursuant to a warrant that yielded large amounts of illegal drugs and two firearms.
The search
The search was directed at a house on Ruskin Drive in Eugene. As police approached the house, the suspect was spotted leaving the building. The man was arrested without incident by the EPD SWAT team a short distance from the house. After the arrest, police returned to the dwelling to carry out the search warrant.
After searching the home, police said that they found more than 270 grams of heroin, 81 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 1900 pills that were expected to contain fentanyl when chemically tested, and two guns, one of which was loaded.
Criminal charges
The suspect was jailed on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and separate drug possession charges for the heroin, meth, and suspected fentanyl.
Possible defenses
The defendant in this case is facing serious criminal charges. However, an experienced criminal defense attorney may be able to find defects in the issuance and execution of the search warrant that could lead to the exclusion of the drugs and guns as evidence at trial. The media reports about the search and arrest did not disclose the basis for the search warrant that was presented to the court. A knowledgeable lawyer may also uncover other police errors that might undermine the prosecution.