18 Years In Prison For Portland Meth Dealer

PORTLAND, OR — A 35-year-old Portland man was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison on Monday after pleading guilty in a federal court to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Jeramy Theodore Carpenter was 33 in September 2016 when he arranged to sell two ounces of meth for $800 with the help of his co-conspirator, Joshua Joseph Howard — who is now 36.

The pair arranged to meet their unidentified buyer at the Glendoveer Golf Course on Sept. 15, 2016. When the buyer got into the front passenger seat of the vehicle, which Howard was driving, Carpenter rose from the backseat and put a knife to the buyer's throat, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Patch.

Striking the buyer with the butt of a gun before holding the barrel to the buyer's head, Carpenter asked, "Where's my money?"

Roughly three weeks before his abduction, the buyer reportedly stole $25,000 from another meth supplier for whom Carpenter worked.

Unwilling to give up the money right away, the buyer was then taken to Carpenter's house and held in the garage until the next day while under constant watch by either Carpenter or Howard.

While the buyer was there, someone took his car and brought it to Carpenter's home.

Carpenter told the buyer that if he did not give up the money his car would be burned. Carpenter also reportedly told the buyer that "his life was on the line."

Eventually, the buyer told Howard and Carpenter the money was being stored in a safe deposit box at his work.

Howard and Carpenter immediately drove the buyer to his job to retrieve the money. But when the buyer got out of the car, he went through his work to a rear door, ran into some nearby trees, and eventually hopped on a bus to complete his escape.

Afterward, the buyer called police.

The ensuing investigation resulted in a search warrant for Carpenter's home, where detectives found the buyer's car and a considerable amount of incriminating evidence, which included four firearms in total, roughly 1,400 grams of meth, scales, drug records, three sets of brass knuckles, and $1,000 in cash.

Howard's charges were also deferred to a federal court.

It does not appear as though the buyer suffered any legal consequences for his role in the situation — though his criminal history is equally as colorful as his aggressors.

Images via U.S. District Attorney's Office - District of Oregon