Bail has been set at $100,000 for a Centralia woman who was allegedly found in possession of heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl last month while she was out on unsecured bail for a controlled substances homicide case.
In that case, the defendant, Latasha Joyce Burleson, 27, is accused of selling heroin to a 30-year-old man the day before he died from an overdose in August 2020.
The 30-year-old man was found dead at his parents’ residence in Chehalis on Aug. 4, 2020. Autopsy analysis confirmed that he died of acute heroin intoxication, and texts found on his cellphone showed that the victim had planned to meet with Burleson after he had repeatedly asked to buy “a 20” from her, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
She was officially charged with controlled substances homicide, a Class B felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, on Jan. 25, 2021. She appeared out of custody for a hearing on Feb. 24, where Judge J. Andrew Toynbee approved the state’s request for a $25,000 unsecured bail. On unsecured bail, Burleson was allowed to remain out of custody without paying any of the bail amount on the condition that she is present at mandatory court hearings and obeys her release conditions — which included a provision that she not commit any crimes.
Toynbee voided that unsecured bail, meaning Burleson is liable for the full amount, during a hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday.
Burleson was arrested Thursday on a $25,000 warrant for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver charges that were filed in August.
On Aug. 19, an officer with the Centralia Police Department reportedly found “small, clean baggies,” a digital scale with controlled substance residue on it, two rubber containers containing heroin, another container with “white powder that had the appearance of heroin and/or fentanyl,” one to two ounces of “suspected methamphetamine” and three pills “that looked like fentanyl” in a vehicle registered to Burleson, according to court documents..
The officer had obtained a search warrant for the vehicle after he reportedly saw “a glass bong in the center console” and saw that one of the vehicle’s occupants, who the officer “knew to be a convicted felon,” possibly had a firearm and “a zipper kit” with a straw sticking out, according to court documents.
The gun turned out to be a BB pistol, but after finding the controlled substances and drug paraphernalia, the officer referred possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver charges against both Burleson and the vehicle’s other occupant to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.
Given that one of the substances found in Burleson’s vehicle is believed to be heroin — the same substance Burleson allegedly sold the man who died of an overdose in 2020 — Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson asked Toynbee to set a high bail amount in the current case.
Toynbee agreed to set Burleson’s bail at $100,000 “for now” given the facts of the controlled substance homicide case and the allegation that she potentially violated her release conditions for that case.
Burleson has an omnibus hearing for the controlled substances homicide case scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 8.
Trial for that case has been scheduled for Dec. 12.
