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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, October 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 17, 2004 Barker gets prison time for drugs, guns Kirby Lee Barker, of Medford, also is awaiting sentencing on a robbery and kidnapping case By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Medford mortgage broker will spend more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug and firearm charges. Kirby Lee Barker, 45, of the 3300 block of Ford Drive, will remain in the Jackson County Jail awaiting his sentence in an unrelated robbery and kidnapping case. Once he is sentenced in the state case, Barker will be taken to serve his federal prison term first, said Scott McLean of the U.S. Marshal’s Office. More than a year after Barker pleaded guilty to federal counts of distributing methamphetamine and unlawful possession of firearms, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Hogan on Thursday ordered him to serve seven years and three months. Barker owns Southern Oregon Mortgage Inc. Drug Enforcement Agents serving a search warrant in July 2002 found marijuana, hashish, hash oil and hallucinogenic mushrooms in Barker’s garage. The garage and a secret compartment in a shed on the property yielded 31 rifles, 17 pistols, eight boxes of ammunition, night-vision goggles, a bullet proof vest and an incendiary grenade, according to court documents. Agents obtained the warrant after an informant bought more than a pound of methamphetamine in May 2002 from Barker and 25-year-old Jeffrey Truman Shepard, of Medford. Weapons were listed on the subsequent search warrant. Advertisement The federal bust helped detectives with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office crack the April 2002 kidnapping and home-invasion robbery of an Applegate gun collector. Items reported stolen in that robbery turned up at Barker’s house, investigators said. The Applegate man told police that three men posing as federal agents tied him up, blindfolded him and forced him to hand over guns, military surplus items, knives and camping equipment worth about $50,000. The three men prodded the victim with shotgun barrels during the ordeal, investigators said. Hands still bound and a bag tied over his head, the victim stumbled along a remote road after the men turned him loose. U.S. Forest Service workers found him and called authorities. Barker pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court in May to first-degree robbery, first- and second-degree kidnapping and first-degree theft. He was set to receive his sentence Thursday, but the hearing was postponed until Nov. 19. He will spend a minimum of seven years and six months in state prison, under Oregon’s mandatory sentencing law. Prison authorities will determine if he can serve state and federal terms at the same time. Shepard and 29-year-old Matthew Steven Phillips, of Medford, also were charged in the case and await an Oct. 26 trial. Shepard, of the 1100 block of West McAndrews Road, remained in jail Thursday. Phillips, who lives in the 100 block of Kensington Square, has been free on bail since April 2003. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities