A late-night stay at a Salem motel ended with an alleged assault in front of two children and a major gun and drug seizure, according to police. Officers say 43-year-old Jose Antonio Sandoval-Chavez attacked his girlfriend at a motel on Portland Road NE, then took off in a maroon GMC Yukon. Detectives later searched the SUV and reported finding seven handguns, a short-barreled shotgun, and roughly 7.4 ounces of suspected fentanyl.
In a media release posted to the Salem Police Department, investigators say Sandoval-Chavez came back to the area the next day and was spotted outside an apartment on Hawthorne Avenue NE. Officers arrested him there and say he had cocaine, methamphetamine, brass knuckles, ammunition, and more than $6,000 in cash. Sandoval-Chavez told officers he had swallowed several packets of fentanyl, police said, and he was evaluated at Salem Hospital before being booked into the Marion County Jail.
What detectives recovered
Violent Crimes Unit detectives served a search warrant on the maroon GMC Yukon and seized seven handguns, one short-barreled shotgun, numerous rounds of ammunition, packaging materials, scales and approximately 7.4 ounces of suspected fentanyl in both powder and pill form. Items reported stolen from the victim and her children were also recovered, according to the Salem Police Department on Nextdoor, which reproduced the agency's release.
Why the fentanyl haul matters
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal. At roughly 210 grams, the amount seized in this case would exceed statutory thresholds tied to fentanyl trafficking in Oregon under ORS 475.925, although laboratory testing will have to confirm the substance's precise composition and purity.
Charges and court date
Salem police say Sandoval-Chavez was lodged on several counts, including robbery in the third degree, assault in the fourth degree (felony), menacing, theft in the first degree, felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful delivery of cocaine and methamphetamine, and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. He is scheduled to be arraigned at 2:30 p.m. at the Marion County court annex, and the department says additional charges may follow as detectives finish processing evidence. The department's media release lists the full set of allegations and next steps, which can be found through the Salem Police Department.
Where this fits in Salem's enforcement push
The seizure is the latest high-profile result in Salem's ongoing push to clamp down on gun and drug violence. The City of Salem detailed a joint operation with federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents late last year that targeted local gun and drug trafficking. And in a separate case in December, detectives executed a search that turned up 13 firearms and a sizable drug stash, an earlier incident covered by KPTV.
The investigation in this latest case remains active, and the Marion County District Attorney’s Office is handling prosecutorial review, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Salem Police or the DA's office. This story will be updated as court filings and additional records are released.
