Date:  June 16, 2021

Date & Time of Incident:  June 16, 2021 9:00AM                         

Type of Incident:  Drug Arrest / Search Warrant                      

Location of Incidents:  900 Block of NE Dekalb Ave and 17000 Block of Fontana Rd. Bend, OR   

Suspect Information:

1)  Heather Marie Austin, 35-year-old Bend, OR resident

     Charges:         Possession of Commerical Quantities of a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance (Psilocybin)

                                Manufacture of a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance within 1000 ft of a School

                                Endangering the Welfare of a Minor

2)  Robert Marshall Sauter, 40-year-old Bend, OR resident

      Charges:        Possession of Felony Amounts of Processed Marijuana

                                Possession of Unlawful Cannabis Extracts

                                Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana

Narrative:

On June 16th, 2021, Detectives with the Deschutes County Marijuana Enforcement Team and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a month-long investigation involving Austin and Sauter. Detectives, with the assistance of the DCSO SWAT Team, executed two search warrants at the couple’s home in Bend and a commercial outbuilding in the Spring River area of south Deschutes County.

During the search, Detectives found an active psilocybin grow chamber in the couple’s children's play area and toy storage area within the home. Psychedelic psilocybin is a schedule I controlled substance. Indoor mushroom growing can produce airborne mold, fungus, and spores attached to clothing and food. It is common knowledge that prolonged exposure to mold and fungus can cause numerous medical conditions, especially in children. 

Additionally, commercial quantities of processed psilocybin were also found with other related manufacturing paraphernalia inside the home. A pistol and a large sum of cash were also seized.

In the Spring River area of La Pine, another team of Detectives searched a commercial-type outbuilding built and designed to grow and process marijuana. Detectives located an active marijuana grow operation and felony amounts of processed marijuana. In addition, a large quantity of cannabis extracts and seven additional firearms were seized from the warehouse.

Austin was lodged in the Deschutes County Adult Jail with the above-listed criminal charges. Sauter was cited and released at the scene with the above-listed criminal charges.

Oregon DHS Child Welfare workers assisted at the scene to care for the children.

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 Oregon-Idaho 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.