Man arrested in Shady Cove connected to string of burglaries after trying to break into RV Park office

SHADY COVE, Ore. -- A man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after he tried to break into a Shady Cove RV Park front office near Highway 62, according to a Thursday morning Jackson County Sheriff's Office news release. 

JCSO deputies detained the suspect, 48-year-old Michael Jonathan Barrett of Central Point, and discovered 14 grams of methamphetamine on his person, the release said.

"A search of his vehicle uncovered 43.7-grams of fentanyl in multiple baggies packaged for sale, evidence of additional burglaries and burglary tools," the release said. "(We) were able to link the suspect to burglaries from throughout the Rogue Valley. During the search, the suspect advised he had stolen keys for approximately 20 local businesses and had hidden them in a local creek."

Deputies were able to recover most of the keys and property during the investigation, the release said. 

Barrett is lodged at Jackson County Jail and has been charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, first-degree theft, second-degree attempted burglary, third-degree theft, unlawful possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a schedule II-controlled substance (fentanyl). 

When deputies first detained Barrett, they discovered that he had eight warrants out for his arrest on top of a parole violation, the release said. Barrett was wanted on failure-to-appear warrants for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, third-degree theft, identity theft, and second-degree burglary, the release said. According to the release, his outstanding warrants were for first-degree theft and second-degree burglary, and his parole violation was for unlawful delivery of heroin. 

Due to his parole violation, he will not be released from jail before his trial.

"Barrett has been linked to at least two unsolved burglary cases locally. This includes a Medford dental office and a Jacksonville computer store where he stole the keys to local businesses," the release said. "According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person's body size, tolerance and past usages. JCSO deuties seized enough fentanyl in this case to potentially kill nearly 22,000 people."

The case is still under investigation, the release said.