NEWBERG, Ore. — A traffic stop outside of Newberg’s Walgreens Pharmacy on Portland Rd. on Wednesday, Sept. 30 in Newberg led to the arrest of a 43-year-old Carlton man and the seizure of about 2.2 pounds of methamphetamine and 6.8 grams of fentanyl, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.
Jeremy Brandon Tarozzi was lodged in the Yamhill County Correctional Facility on charges of unlawful delivery of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of methamphetamine (substantial quantity), the sheriff’s office said. Charges are allegations, and Tarozzi is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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Tarozzi was released after being lodged on a conditional release agreement, Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott said in an email. Elliott said the release followed the guidelines of Senate Bill 48, a 2021 state law that directs each judicial district’s presiding judge to issue a standing order on which offenses qualify for pretrial release and under what conditions, and the crimes with which Tarozzi was charged.
Members of the sheriff’s Street Crimes and Narcotics (SCAN) Team, working with the Special Investigations Unit and the Rural Patrol Red Team, stopped a vehicle Sept. 30 as it entered the Walgreens parking lot in Newberg, according to the sheriff’s office. The office said the vehicle’s occupants were suspected of trafficking controlled substances into Yamhill County.
Cpl. Micah Akin of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and a K-9 named Puddles responded to assist after the stop. The sheriff’s office said the dog conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle and alerted to the odor of controlled substances. A search warrant was then obtained and served, resulting in the seizure of the methamphetamine, the fentanyl, and additional paraphernalia.
Newberg-Dundee Police Department officers were at the scene assisting the sheriff’s office but left shortly afterward, Capt. Ryan Simmons said in an email.
According to Yamhill County Circuit Court records, Tarozzi was convicted of felony delivery of methamphetamine in 2016 and of felony possession of methamphetamine in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2019.
The investigation is ongoing, and the sheriff’s office said additional charges are anticipated.
This story was updated at 3:49 p.m. Oct. 1 to include that Tarozzi was released from custody and after confirming details of his prior convictions.
