ATTEMPTED THEFT OF MARIJUANA PLANTS TIED TO SHOOTING

The Sunday night shooting of a registered medical marijuana user was
triggered by an attempt to steal plants the victim was legally growing on
property near Amity, sheriff's detective Jack Crabtree confirmed late Thursday.

[To identify the address of this patient, making him a target, was not an appropriate thing for the police or AP to do so MAP has removed the information] was shot several
times about 11:30 p.m., Crabtree said. He was investigating a suspected
break-in at a greenhouse where he had six large marijuana plants growing,
and he surprised two armed intruders, according to the detective.

Castilleja was flown by Life Flight helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Hospital
in Portland. His condition was rated critical originally, but was later
upgraded to serious and is now considered fair, according to a hospital
spokesman.

This wasn't Castilleja's first run-in with would-be marijuana thieves. On
Sept. 25, 2001, sheriff's deputy Chris Ray was dispatched to the residence
to investigate a raid on Castilleja's legal marijuana stash.

Ray's report indicated that both Castilleja and his wife, Ashley, suffered
from medical maladies qualifying them for the program. Thus, both had the
legal right to cultivate marijuana for personal use in relief of chronic
pain, he said.

According to Ray's account, someone had broken into the greenhouse and made
off with a portion of Castilleja's crop. The crime was never solved,
according to the sheriff's office.

While break-ins aren't all that uncommon in the county, shootings remain
extremely rare. Crabtree said he has both of his fellow detectives, Russ
Ludwig and Ed Rosario, helping him work the case.

Crabtree said Castilleja was interviewed extensively Tuesday, and that
produced some good leads for the detectives to follow up. "A case like this
will take some time to solve," he said, "but it is solvable. It takes a
detailed investigation. It's not a situation where you can identify one or
two individuals as being suspects. There are so many people it could have
been."

Castilleja said he had stepped outside for a smoke of tobacco when he heard
voices coming from the vicinity of the greenhouse and went to investigate.
He encountered two male strangers, and one of them fired several shots.

Crabtree declined to identify the weapon, to describe the wounds, to say
how many shots were fired and how many found their target. However, someone
used red paint to post the following warning message on the outside of the
greenhouse following the incident: "5 SHOTS - ATTEMPTED MURDER - YOU'D
BETTER RUN!"

As the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle with a loud exhaust,
Castilleja's wife called 911 to summon help, Crabtree said. He said the
couple's children were also home at the time, and were sleeping.

When deputies arrived, they found Castilleja lying on the ground near the
greenhouse. As soon as the scene was secured, medical personnel went to his
aid.

Crabtree said investigators have learned what medical condition qualifies
Castilleja for the state program, but declined to disclose it.

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Act was passed by voters in 1998. Upon
certification by a physician, it permits use of marijuana to ease severe
and chronic pain.

Registered patients must grow their own marijuana. They are required to
register their grow sites.