"His attorney, Michael Sahagian, claims Rowell was told by PPB Officers Carrie Hutchinson and Tequila Thurman that his distribution of heroin caused the death of someone who obtained the opioids from another person. The lawsuit alleges police, as well as then-Deputy District Attorney Ryan Lufkin, knew the information wasn't true, but repeated the claim about a fatal overdose in an attempt to get Rowell to plead guilty to drug charges, which he eventually did."
"In 2025, Portland City Council approved a $300,000 settlement with the plaintiff in that lawsuit, Adam Gregg. Gregg was one of two other defendants named in the drug crime indictment alongside Rowell in 2015. Prosecutors indicated the three men were all found to be delivering heroin in June 2015. Gregg's lawsuit spurred Rowell to take his own legal action against the police, state prison system, and county prosecutor's office."
"Devin Rowell, 35, filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Corrections, Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County, city of Portland, and Multnomah County DA's Office on December 23. According to the complaint, Rowell was convicted in 2015 for delivery of heroin. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison with two years of post-prison supervision. He was released in June 2016."
Devin Rowell sued the Oregon Department of Corrections, Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County, the city of Portland, and the Multnomah County DA's Office after learning a fatal overdose linked to his heroin distribution never occurred. Rowell was convicted in 2015 of delivery of heroin, sentenced to 13 months and two years' supervision, and released in June 2016. Police officers and a deputy district attorney allegedly told him his distribution caused a death and repeated the claim to secure a guilty plea. Rowell learned in 2024 the supposed victim was alive after his mother saw a news report; a 2025 $300,000 settlement in a related suit prompted his lawsuit. His attorney noted he had already completed his sentence and supervision before learning of the error.
Read at Portland Mercury
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