FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 1st, 2023
Released by: Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp
Gilchrist, OR –
On February 1st, 2023, at approximately 1:30 PM, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded an investigation with the arrest of Robert Edward King III, age 40, of Sacramento, California, and Gregory Wyatt Stites, age 32, of La Pine, Oregon.
During a concurrent investigation, CODE detectives identified Mr. Stites as a drug trafficker in the central Oregon area. The initial investigation alleges Mr. Stites imports controlled substances from the southern Oregon area into central Oregon, where he distributed them into the community.
After a surveillance operation, Oregon State Police Troopers stopped the white 2007 Volvo sedan driven by Mr. Stites, and Mr. King was the passenger on Highway 97 at milepost 191. This was in rural Klamath County, between Crescent and Gilchrist.
CODE drug detection K9, Bonnie, was deployed and alerted to the presence of a controlled substance inside the Volvo and luggage. Both Mr. Stites and Mr. King consented to a search of the vehicle and luggage.
As a result, CODE Detectives and OSP Troopers gathered and seized a commercial quantity of methamphetamine and cocaine, a user quantity of powder fentanyl, and a loaded 9mm pistol.
A “commercial quantity” is defined by statute as ten grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. This is not a separate criminal charge but rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines.
Mr. Stites was lodged in the Klamath County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges.
- Felon in Possession of a Weapon
- Possession of a Controlled Substance
- Attempted Delivery of a Controlled Substance
Mr. King was lodged in the Klamath County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges.
- Possession of a Controlled Substance x2
- Attempted Delivery of a Controlled Substance x2
CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, 541-550-4869 or kentv@deschutes.org
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.
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