Coast pair arrested in Bend, accused of returning to hotel for the bag – full of drugs – they left behind

Hotel, acting on tip, finds drugs, calls police; each man told officers luggage belonged to the other man

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Two Oregon coast residents were arrested on drug and other charges Sunday afternoon after hotel employees acting on a tip found luggage left behind by a guest had drugs inside. Officers said the pair later returned for the bag – and when questioned by police, each man said it belonged to the other.

Officers were dispatched around 2:40 p.m. to the La Quinta Inn on South Highway 97 after employees, checking on a tip from an outside source, according to the hotel – found a bag left behind in a room and one opened it, finding drugs inside, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller.

The man who booked the room, Richard Wescott, 43, of Toledo, called the hotel to report he’d return for the bag, Miller said.

Around 4:30 p.m., another man, Jeremy Boggs, 43, of Waldport, arrived at the hotel to pick up the luggage, Miller said. He said Wescott was in a car parked across the street.

The two men each claimed the bag belong to the other man, according to Miller.

Inside the bag, officers found more than 1,000 fentanyl pills, 82 grams of fentanyl powder, 46 grams of “tar” heroin and six grams of methamphetamine, as well as digital scales and packaging material, Miller said. Wescott had more than $1,600 in his wallet.

Boggs was arrested on an in-state warrant, as well as felony drug possession, manufacture and delivery charges. Westcott was charged with being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon, as well as drug possession, manufacture and delivery charges.

Both men were booked into the Deschutes County Jail and arraigned Monday afternoon on initial charges from the district attorney's office. They are due back in court Aug. 7 for arraignment on an expected formal grand jury indictment, court records show.

Miller said, “Bend Police wish to thank the employees of La Quinta Inn for proactively contacting police in this investigation.”