Passenger in 2019 pot plane crash gets time served, probation

Nick Morgan, Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
·2 min read

Dec. 7—A man who walked away from a 2019 plane crash in east Medford will not serve any additional prison time for the illicit marijuana found after the crash.

Zachary Wayne Moore, 37, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Eugene to time served and three years of supervised release for possessing hash oil with intent to distribute the drug leading up to a June 8, 2019 crash in the 2300 block of Whittle Avenue.

Moore sustained minor injuries in the crash of a 1947 Beech 35 Bonanza piloted by co-defendant Mathew William Thompson. The crash sparked drug investigations in Southern Oregon and the Boise, Idaho area, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office and earlier news reports.

Moore reportedly told police after the crash that he and Thompson had paid more than $6,000 in Cave Junction for four pounds of butane honey oil that they intended to sell in Idaho.

Boise police allegedly found equipment used to manufacture hash oil and psychedelic mushrooms at a home belonging to Thompson where Moore also lived, according to earlier news reports.

Court records show that Thompson is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 8 in U.S. District Court in Medford on marijuana charges, along with an added charge of operating an unregistered aircraft. Ada County District Court records show that Thompson is scheduled to stand trial in Idaho a week later.

Moore pleaded guilty in July of last year in the federal case, and has served more than 15 months in an Idaho prison after pleading guilty in 2019 to a charge of possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

He is now out on parole, has completed drug treatment and is working in construction, according to a sentencing brief filed late last month by Moore's defense lawyer Justin Rosas.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marco Boccato sought a "low end" recommended sentence between 24 and 30 months in prison, but also stated in his sentencing brief that Moore had a minor role in the drug case and Thompson "appears to be the instigator."

Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.