Baker City police arrest man wanted on Malheur County warrants

Baker City police arrested Robert M. Metz, 41, at 2250 Miller Street on Thursday, June 4, ending what officers described as a long-running effort to locate him and serve outstanding Malheur County warrants. The arrest was made without incident, according to the police statement cited by Elkhorn Media Group, but it immediately moved a set of drug and court-related cases into the next phase of the criminal process.

Metz was wanted on warrants for unlawful possession of heroin, three counts of failure to appear, giving false information to a police officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and reckless driving. Those allegations show a mix of narcotics, court-compliance, and public-safety issues that had already followed him across county lines and into Baker City. Police said the case had been on their radar for some time because of a history of criminal activity associated with drug use and trafficking.

After Baker City detectives and patrol officers took Metz into custody, he was transported to the Baker County Jail. That arrest temporarily placed the Malheur County matters under local jail control in Baker County, where the sheriff’s office handles jail operations along with dispatch, civil papers, court orders, courthouse security, and search-and-rescue coordination. Metz was later released from jail and cited to appear because of medical issues, meaning he did not remain lodged in custody in Baker County.

The arrest underscores how warrants issued in one county can be carried into another when a suspect is located locally. Malheur County, which includes Vale, has warned that people listed on its wanted page should be considered dangerous and that warrants must be confirmed through standard law-enforcement procedures. In this case, Baker City officers confirmed the warrants and made the arrest on a city street address in the middle of Baker County’s population center.

Baker City Police Chief Ty Duby, who has led the department since July 1, 2021, has framed the department’s work around public safety and partnership with the community. The June 4 arrest also comes as the department has been dealing with staffing pressures in recent years, including reduced patrol coverage reported in 2024. For Baker City, a case like this shows how local officers are still being pulled into regional warrant enforcement, especially in narcotics-related cases that do not stop at county lines.