Thousand of fentanyl pills, meth, heroin seized in Seattle
SEATTLE — Federal agents have made more arrests in a drug pipeline that stretches from Mexico to north of Seattle in Snohomish County.
The Herald reported authorities seized what they believe to be 16,000 fentanyl pills, 30 pounds of methamphetamines and 6 pounds of heroin, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Eight people, including five from Snohomish County, were indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. They are: Jose Luis Ibarra-Valle of Woodinville; Jesus Gutierrez-Garcia of Everett; Jesus Garnica-Melgoza of Seattle; Humberto Garcia of Everett; Santos Caro of Portland, Ore.; Charles Hoffman of Tulalip; Lee Wallette of Mountlake Terrace; and Tisha Girtz of Lake Stevens.
It wasn’t immediately known if the people indicted have lawyers to comment for them.
Most of the drugs were seized from Ibarra-Valle, a Mexican citizen living in Woodinville, who was stopped by law enforcement in Seattle on Oct. 25, according to the Justice Department.
He had 10,000 pills in his car believed to contain fentanyl, more than 20 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and more than 2 pounds of suspected heroin, the Justice Department said. Court-approved searches were done Wednesday after a wiretapping investigation.
18th person with virus in Oregon Corrections custody dies
SALEM, Ore. — A man who tested positive for the coronavirus while incarcerated at the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem has died, state officials said.
The state Department of Corrections said in a news release Thursday that the man described only as between 80 and 90 years old died at a local hospital on Monday. He was the 18th person in state corrections custody to die after testing positive.
The state has not been releasing the names of incarcerated people who have died after testing positive for the coronavirus, saying it’s in order to balance the desire for transparency with their legal obligation to protect personal health information.
In the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report released Wednesday, a catalog of active outbreaks lists three state correctional facilities with the most cumulative cases including Snake River, Eastern Oregon, and Oregon State. Since Nov. 18, more than 1,200 COVID-19 cases have been recorded at the three facilities, according to the report.
Man pleads guilty to using dog shock collar on child
GOLD HILL, Ore. — A man has been sentenced for using a dog shock collar on a girl he was babysitting at a home outside Medford.
Mark McSorley, 40, pleaded guilty in November to charges of third-degree assault and tampering with a witness, The Mail Tribune reported. He was sentenced to three years probation and 30 days in jail with credit for time served. If his probation is revoked, he can be sentenced to more than a year in prison, according to terms of a plea arrangement. He also is barred from being a child care provider.
Christina McSorley, Mark McSorley’s wife, entered not guilty pleas Wednesday to charges of second-degree assault, third-degree assault and harassment.
According to a probable cause affidavit by investigators, Mark McSorley while caring for three children on Oct. 22 pinned one child, grabbed her arm and put a dog shock collar on her forearm as a punishment. He told Christina McSorley to turn on the shock collar and it shocked her, the affidavit said.
Another child said she saw Christina McSorley shock her sister five times. All three children said the McSorleys told them not to tell their mother what had happened, the affidavit said.
The children’s mother learned what happened and took the child to a hospital, prompting a police investigation.
