Olympia police arrest man with handgun, fentanyl during downtown traffic stop Sunday

Olympia police arrested a 30-year-old man after a traffic stop led them to find a handgun and fentanyl in his vehicle.

At about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, an officer stopped a white Chevrolet Cobalt in downtown Olympia because it allegedly did not have a functioning headlight or brake light.

The officer contacted the driver at a gas station at the intersection of Plum Street and Union Avenue Southeast. During the stop, the officer reported seeing a handgun and a lockbox on the driver side floor of the vehicle as well as drug paraphernalia in plain view, according to an Olympia Police Department Facebook post.

The officer served a search warrant on the vehicle and recovered the handgun, 8 rounds of ammunition, 8.75 grams of a white powdered substance believed to be fentanyl, nearly 4 ounces of marijuana, and about 4.5 ounces of mushrooms, according to court records. The measured amounts reportedly included packaging.

Additionally, the officer recovered a scale, over 100 baggies, 7 quart-sized ziplock bags, a glass pipe and $285 in cash. The officer also found $80 in cash in the man’s pockets during his arrest.

A passenger rode in the vehicle with the man. Police released the passenger after they cooperated and denied knowing about the firearm, according to court records.

Police booked the man into the Thurston County jail on suspicion of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, three counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver while armed and an active warrant.

Court records show Judge Allyson Zipp found probable cause for the alleged crimes and set bail at $2,500 on Monday. In doing so, she reasoned the court could not to be sure the man would return to court and there existed a substantial danger he may commit a violent crime if released without conditions.

On Tuesday, the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges for the alleged crimes. That same day, the jail released the man after he posted bail, according to court records. He is due back in court at 9 a.m. July 23.

The man has one adult conviction on his record for criminal trespass in a 2013 Olympic Municipal Court Case. However, charging documents indicate he has a 2011 felony conviction in Thurston County Juvenile Court that precludes him from possessing a firearm.

Court records indicate the man had two other open cases in Olympia Municipal Court at the time of his arrest, including one for operating a vehicle without a valid license and another for third-degree theft. The warrant for his arrest was related to the latter case.