Drug crisis devastates small-town Oregon

NEWPORT, Ore. (KOIN) -- If it’s a warm, sunny day, it’s tough to find a place prettier than Newport, nestled along Oregon’s central coast.

It’s one of the reasons Sgt. Aaron Bales makes the area his home, and it’s why what happens just under the surface here hits so close to home.

“We're seeing a dramatic increase in overdoses, and I'm just seeing an overall increase in drug use," the K9 narcotics officer said during a recent interview with KOIN 6.

The fentanyl and...