[[{“value”:”
While investigating shots fired, Yakima police found a man with several pounds of marijuana and slightly more than a half-pound of cocaine earlier this month.
The 45-year-old Yakima man is facing possible charges of possessing cocaine and marijuana with intent to deliver, as well as first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possessing stolen firearms.
The Yakima Herald-Republic typically does not publish the names of criminal defendants before formal charges are filed.
Yakima police were called to the area of South Eighth and East Arlington streets around 9:12 p.m. June 1 after a resident said she heard three shots coming from a Honda in the area. Officers found the Honda on La Salle Street between South Eighth and Ninth streets, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When an officer pulled up to the car, a rear passenger door opened and three people got out, the last one sitting in the position where a witness saw the shots fire, and he began running east on La Salle, the affidavit said.
During a foot chase with police, the man ran into an apartment in the 800 block of La Salle Street, and officers set up a perimeter around the home, the affidavit said.
Armed with a search warrant, officers entered the home around 12:10 a.m. June 2 to apprehend the man and look for any gun he might have had. In the home, officers found between eight and 10 pounds of marijuana in bags and containers, along with three plastic bags containing 3 ounces each of a substance believed to be cocaine, the affidavit said.
Officers said the amounts of drugs found exceeded what someone would have for personal use, the affidavit said. Investigators also found four firearms, two of which were reported stolen, as well as large amounts of U.S. currency.
At Wednesday’s preliminary appearance hearing, Deputy Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney JP Schroeder argued for $50,000 bail for the apartment’s resident. While there was no evidence linking the resident to the shooting incident and the affidavit is unclear as to when the apartment’s resident was arrested, Schroeder said the connection between guns and drugs was concerning, as well as the fact that a shooting suspect went right to the apartment.
Since the suspect said he would hire his own lawyer, Schroeder said that he apparently has the means to post a higher bail.
Jewel Christensen, a public defender who represented the suspect for the hearing, argued for release under court supervision. She said bail should only be imposed if there are concerns about someone showing up for court, not just because he can afford it. There’s no evidence that the suspect knew about the shooting, she said.
Yakima County Superior Court Judge Jeffery Swan released the man on court supervision. While Swan said he had suspicions about the suspect’s possible likelihood of new criminal activity, he said it was not probable cause and would defer to the pretrial staff’s assessment.
”}]] While investigating shots fired, Yakima police found a man with several pounds of marijuana and slightly more than a half-pound of cocaine earlier this month. Read More
