In Brief: Aug. 2, 2025

Published 6:00 am Saturday, August 2, 2025

OSP traffic stop on I-5 in Linn County yields significant drug seizure

At 9:47 a.m. on Wednesday, an Oregon State Trooper stopped a passenger vehicle on I-5 southbound near Albany for multiple traffic violations. With the assistance of an OSP drug detection K-9, approximately 112 pounds of methamphetamine, 5.6 pounds of cocaine, and 4.4 pounds of fentanyl were located within the vehicle.

Both the vehicle operator, Jesus Compos Roman, 29, of Everett, Washington and passenger Eduar Freites Mosquera of Mill Creek, Washington were arrested and charged with possession and delivery of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl and lodged at the Linn County Jail.  

The case remains under investigation.

Campfires banned with increased fire restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management is enacting a Level II Fire Prevention Order further restricting fire-related activities on BLM-administered lands in Northwest Oregon, effective as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 1. 

Prohibited:

• All campfires, charcoal grills, and stove fires. (Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed.)

• Smoking in timber, brush, or grass areas, except in vehicles on roads or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter free of any flammable material.

• Driving off-road. Vehicles must stay on cleared roadways and park in areas free of vegetation. 

• Chainsaw use or any operation generating sparks, such as welding, cutting, or grinding, except by permit.

• Use of combustion engines or electric tools near vegetation unless equipped with spark arresters that are properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.

Those operating a motorized vehicle must have in their vehicle:

• One shovel, at least 26 inches long, with a blade at least eight inches wide.

• One water container (at least one gallon filled to capacity), or a 2.5-pound ABC fire extinguisher, fully charged.

Violators may be fined up to $100,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months. In addition, those found responsible for starting wildland fires on federal lands can be billed for the cost of fire suppression and resource damages.

The restrictions apply to the 720,000 acres of BLM-administered land from Columbia County down to the northern boundary of Douglas County.

Coast Guard medevacs woman on cruise ship

A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Oregon, medevaced a woman experiencing a health emergency onboard the cruise ship Carnival Legend nearly 120 miles west of Grays Harbor, Washington, Tuesday night.  At the time of the hoist, the cruise ship was transiting from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to San Francisco, California.  At 6 p.m. Tuesday, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Northwest District Command Center received the medevac request from the cruise ship Carnival Legend for a 71-year-old woman experiencing a cardiac event.  

Road work for week of Aug. 4

Road crews will be mowing in Astoria District. Yield to oncoming traffic when passing mowers.

Crews will also be fog sealing and paint striping county-wide on roads over the next month, depending on weather. Expect up to 20-minute delays. Do not drive through wet paint – if you do, where signage, cones and

flaggers are visible, the county will not be responsible for the cost of cleaning the paint off your vehicle. The County currently uses water-based paint for its striping needs. Should you get any of this paint on your vehicle please wash it off immediately with water.

— The Astorian