A small-town mayor arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine is disputing a Marion County Sheriff's Office account that he was found with the drug during a traffic stop and that he told deputies he drove to a neighboring town to buy meth.
Cletus Moore, who began his term as mayor of Idanha in January, said Tuesday that he still wants to lead the city, but plans to speak with other council members about his arrest and would consider resigning if asked.
"I'm not guilty until proven otherwise," said Moore, 68, in a telephone interview. "But I don't believe this will interfere with my duties as mayor and what I can contribute to our city."
Moore is a former Republican candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives and Senate. He was hired as an administrator of the House Rules and Elections Committee a year after losing a 1998 House seat race to now- U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. He then lost to Frank Shields in a 2002 state Senate seat race.
Moore soon found his way to Idanha, a town of nearly 140 east of Salem. He was elected to one of three open council seats with four votes in November 2014 and later chosen as mayor by the council. A total of 43 votes were cast in the last election.
A message left Wednesday with the Marion County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned.
Moore has prior convictions for methamphetamine possession in Marion County in 2009 and in Washington County in 2011, court records show. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail for the 2011 conviction.
According to the sheriff's office, Moore was pulled over for a traffic violation near South Main Street and High Street in nearby Jefferson. Deputies said they found meth during a search of Moore's car. It was towed because Moore was driving without insurance, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
Moore and his passenger, 39-year-old Christopher Kosack, admitted to driving to Jefferson to buy meth, the sheriff's office said. Both men were booked and released from the Marion County Jail and are scheduled to appear in Circuit Court on Sept. 28.
Moore said he was pulled over while giving Kosack a ride to pick up clothes and other items from a home in Jefferson. The two were heading back to Idanha when they were pulled over.
Moore isn't sure why he was pulled over, he said. He had never been to Jefferson before and didn't buy any drugs or have any drugs on him, he said.
"They (Deputies) said they found something in the car, but they didn't show me." Moore said. "But it's my car, so what are you going to do."
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com
503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey