A federal judge ruled Thursday that a Port Angeles man must remain in custody ahead of his trial, rejecting a defense request to release him into a residential addiction program.
The decision was handed down by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright following a hearing that began at 2:30 p.m. at the courthouse in Tacoma. Judge Cartwright declined to modify the earlier detention order, remanding the 44-year-old defendant back to custody. This means he will not be permitted to enter a 30-to-45-day program at American Behavioral Health Services as his counsel had proposed.
The ruling upholds a detention order issued on June 15 by Magistrate Judge Grady J. Leupold.
The defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 10 alongside Johnny Watts Jr., the former Clallam County Drug Court Coordinator. The charges stem from a warrant operation conducted on March 12 at the 7 Cedars Casino in Blyn. He faces three federal counts: possession of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
In arguing for his client's release, Assistant Federal Public Defender John R. Carpenter drew a contrast between his client and Watts, noting that the former drug court coordinator was granted bond in June despite allegedly being connected to 680 grams of drugs—more than 13 times the amount attributed to the defendant. The defense further argued that the defendant's recent criminal record is composed largely of misdemeanors related to addiction and that he is motivated to remain sober for the sake of his four-year-old son.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elyne Vaught argued on behalf of the government that the defendant's history demonstrates he cannot be trusted to comply with court-ordered conditions. Vaught noted that at the time of the March casino operation, he was on probation for a 2023 protection order violation out of Port Orchard Municipal Court, had violated that probation twice, and had drawn a bench warrant in February for failing to appear at a review hearing. The prosecution also stressed the lethal nature of fentanyl and the danger of allegedly trafficking drugs while armed at a busy casino.
According to the government, detectives observing the March operation saw the defendant carry a distinctive red backpack from a casino hotel room to a Lexus. A search of the vehicle uncovered the backpack, which crime lab testing showed contained 43.67 grams of fentanyl, a scale, drug paraphernalia, and the handgun. The defense has noted that no drugs or firearms were found on the defendant himself at the casino and that the Lexus did not belong to him.
If convicted, the fentanyl charge carries a five-year mandatory minimum sentence, while the firearm-in-furtherance count would add a consecutive mandatory five years.
Both the defendant and Watts have pleaded not guilty. A jury trial is currently set for Aug. 17 before Judge Cartwright.