ESTACADA, Oregon – A Portland firefighter has been found guilty of two counts of first-degree kidnapping after locking a man inside a shipping container in a bid to recover stolen cannabis. Douglas Bourland, 48, had allegedly scared Colbey Fleishman into revealing the whereabouts of around 260 pounds of marijuana that he had stolen from Bourland’s business, the Oregon Hemp House. The trial lasted for three days before a Multnomah County jury delivered the guilty verdicts against Bourland. He has been on unpaid leave from Portland Fire & Rescue since his indictment in August 2021.
The City of Portland and the Fire Bureau are now conducting an internal investigation to determine the appropriate action to take regarding Bourland’s employment. Rick Graves, a spokesperson for the city, stated that they are carefully reviewing their policies related to felony convictions for employees. The trial revealed that Bourland had reportedly been secretly selling marijuana out of the back door of the licensed CBD store, Hemp House, to Fleishman.
Fleishman testified that he had stolen low-grade cannabis worth approximately $40,000 from the store on August 13, 2021. The following night, Bourland, along with an associate named Edward Simmons, allegedly abducted Fleishman and drove him to Bourland’s grow-op in Estacada. Hong Lee, the chief grower at the farm, testified that Bourland had diverted some marijuana out of the legal system and had instructed him to threaten Fleishman with a handgun.
After abandoning Fleishman in a locked shipping container on the farm, the trio drove back toward Portland, stopping at a strip club along the way. Upon being pulled over by the police, Lee directed the officers to the location of the captive Fleishman, who was rescued after ten hours of confinement.
During the trial, defense attorney Josephine Townsend argued that Bourland was an unwilling participant in the kidnapping and was coerced into playing a role due to Lee’s possession of a gun. However, the jury rejected this defense and returned a guilty verdict after only three hours of deliberation. Fleishman, who received immunity for the shop burglary in exchange for his testimony, and Simmons, who pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, are awaiting their punishments. Bourland will be sentenced next month and remains out of custody.