JOHN DAY – A John Day man remains in the Baker County Jail this week as police continue their investigation into drugs and stolen property found in his home and vehicle.

Authorities served search warrants at the home of Rodney Rookstool, 48, 109 N.W. Bridge St., on Tuesday, Jan. 5 and Thursday, Jan. 7.

Rookstool was arrested after a traffic stop in Baker County about 11:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4. A search of his vehicle turned up a half-pound of marijuana, a quarter-pound of methamphetamine and a large amount of cash, according to John Day Police Chief Rich Tirico.

In the first search of his residence, police recovered stolen tools, fishing equipment and an equipment trailer. Tirico said the items were linked to burglaries in the Portland area and elsewhere in Oregon.

In the second search, police found a large amount of cash, some gold coins and a small quantity of drugs.

Tirico said the house had numerous cubbyholes and trap doors that concealed some of the seized items.

He also said investigators have linked a stolen snowplow to the case. The equipment, missing from Deschutes County, was found in storage, he said.

The operation culminated a four-month investigation in Grant, Baker and Crook counties. The John Day Police, Baker Drug Task Force and Oregon State Police are cooperating in the ongoing probe.

Meanwhile, Tirico said he expects last week’s interagency drug case to have “an impact on the availability of methamphetamine in our community.”

Tirico said “it can sometimes be frustrating for citizens who report crimes involving drugs to the police, as it may seem like this falls on deaf ears or takes longer than they expect to make an arrest.”

In this case “we were listening, but it took all the agencies working together to build a case,” he said. “In the end, the results were worth it.”

In addition to charges from the Baker County arrest, Rookstool is expected to face charges in Grant County. District Attorney Ryan Joslin said he would take the case to a grand jury soon.