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Three Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Medford Teen's Drug Overdose Death

Three Oregon men were sentenced to federal prison yesterday for distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a Medford teenager.

According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, 22-year-old Napoleon Gomez of Medford was sentenced to 87 months in prison and six years of supervised release, 27-year-old Conner Lee Francis of Portland was sentenced to 73 months in prison and four years of supervised release, and 23-year-old Hunter Fenstermaker of Medford was sentenced to 60 months in prison and six years of supervised release.

All three were also ordered to pay restitution to the victim's family.

On September 7, 2021, the Medford Police Department responded to a report of an overdose death of a 17-year-old high school student. Investigators learned the teen had taken a counterfeit Percocet pill containing fentanyl and -- within days -- identified Fenstermaker, Gomez and Francis as the teen's first-, second- and third-level drug suppliers.

On February 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a five-count indictment charging Fenstermaker and Gomez with Distributing Fentanyl, and Francis with Possessing Fentanyl with the Intent to Distribute and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Fenstermaker, Gomez and Francis all pleaded guilty on April 9th, June 17th and June 24th of this year.

On May 14th of this year, a fourth person -- 31-year-old John Rocha of Medford -- was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in the Medford teen's death. He was the teen's fourth-level drug supplier.

The case was investigated by the FBI, Medford Police Department and Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE). MADGE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts and dismantles local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.
Posted on 9/20/24 11:48AM by Sam Marsh