Eleven people have been indicted on charges related to smuggling drugs and other illegal items into the Multnomah County Inverness Jail, which may have resulted in the drug overdose death of an inmate in July.

The Portland Tribune first reported that an alleged drug ring, from which the indictments stem, hid ingestible meth and heroin packets under rail ties near an equipment shed outside Inverness. The shed is used by work crews, and the Multnomah County district attorney’s office alleges that the drugs smuggled in led to the death of Richard Jason Forrest. The 37-year-old was initially reported to have died from a “medical emergency” while he was lodged in the jail, but medical records later revealed that he died from methamphetamine and heroin use, the Tribune said.

The Tribune reported that the indictments directly followed an investigation into Forrest’s death. The first indictment was filed against Stephanie Alice Bauer in August, just days after Forrest died. Court documents show that Bauer is charged with unlawful possession of heroin, delivery of heroin, supplying contraband and three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony. According to a probable cause affidavit, Bauer’s boyfriend is an inmate at Inverness, and the two planned and executed several missions to deliver heroin inside the jail. Court documents say Bauer took money out of her boyfriend’s account, as well as the accounts of other inmates, to pay for the drugs.

The affidavit states that in May of 2019, police intercepted a call between Bauer and her boyfriend, during which he instructed Bauer to go to a Red Lion Hotel and retrieve their drug stash. Police set up surveillance cameras and saw Bauer make several trips between a hotel room and car, carrying several bags. Police found heroin and methamphetamine in the car.

Another court document states that Laif Becherer communicated with Jerryd Becherer, who was lodged in the Inverness jail and was allegedly orchestrating drug deliveries from inside the jail. Court documents show that police listened to phone calls between the two, and heard them making plans for Laif Becherer to deliver drugs to a drop-off spot.

Court documents provided by the Multnomah County district attorney’s office also show that eight others have been charged: Haley Guengerich, John Christian, Delontae Dickinson, Fahad Abdullahi, Aaron Bastow, Stephen Arnell, Kyleah Hegre and Candy Loften. Most of the defendants face the same six charges, which include supplying contraband, possession and delivery of heroin. Jerryd Becherer also faces three counts of identity theft, according to court documents.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office will start using X-ray body scanners to help catch illegal substances that inmates might be smuggling in, the Tribune reported. But while any inmate entering the jail also has to undergo a strip search, there has been an ongoing issue with drugs being smuggled inside. Coupled with less-frequent dorm searches due to low staffing, it’s become increasingly common for inmates to have drugs inside the jail.

Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office, said the presence of drugs and other contraband inside the jail can lead to many problems, including health and addiction issues, hierarchies between inmates and other safety concerns. He declined to comment on the specific cases, citing ongoing investigations.

All 11 defendants have pleaded not guilty.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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