Baker County Man Arrested After Midnight Break-In, Meth Found at Scene

An Oregon State Police trooper parked outside the Chevron station at 275 Campbell St. just after midnight and watched Stephen Spencer Grossman, 35, walk out a side door of the closed gas station carrying a switchblade knife and a gas can. When the trooper asked Grossman if he was an employee, Grossman said he was not. That answer, and what followed, landed the Kimberly, Idaho man in the Baker County Jail on a felony burglary charge.

Oregon State Police and Baker City Police had responded to the east Baker City location around 12:30 a.m. on March 24 after a suspicious person was reported at the station and the business' burglar alarm went off. According to a probable cause affidavit filed by OSP Trooper Tristan Sand, Sand was already patrolling the area when he pulled over, stepped out of his vehicle, and immediately spotted Grossman exiting through the side door. Grossman was detained on the spot. Baker City Herald reported the formal arrest came at about 12:54 a.m.

Grossman faces three charges: second-degree burglary, a Class C felony; third-degree theft, a Class C misdemeanor; and unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a misdemeanor. Officers also found a switchblade knife on him, which was placed into safekeeping. No source specifies the quantity of methamphetamine found.

After his arrest, Grossman was booked into the Baker County Jail and later released after posting $1,500 bail, representing 10 percent of a $15,000 bail set by the court, according to court records. He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Baker County Circuit Court and is scheduled to enter a plea on March 30.