PORTLAND, Ore.—A 42-year-old Portland man is facing federal charges for targeting and selling drugs to local high school students.

Jonathon Ash Clark aka “Jonathan Ash Clark” has been charged by federal criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance, distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21, and using a minor in drug operations.

According to court documents, on September 28, 2022, Portland Public Schools officials contacted the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) to request assistance locating a missing student. School officials received word that the student was last observed with Clark, a suspected supplier of drugs for students. To quickly locate the student, responding PPB officers requested the assistance of the bureau’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit (NOC), the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Investigators soon located the missing student with Clark in Powell Park in southeast Portland. Officers contacted Clark and learned that he had an outstanding arrest warrant in Clackamas County for violating a protective order. During his arrest, officers searched Clark’s backpack and located small amounts of cocaine and MDMA, and a digital scale covered in white powder residue. Clark later admitted to selling drugs to minors.

Clark will make his initial appearance in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Armistead. The government will seek pre-trial detention.

This case was investigated by HIT, PPB NOC, and HSI. It is being prosecuted by Scott Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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