A Centralia man faces accusations he supplied methamphetamine to another man serving a community custody sentence with the Department of Corrections.
According to court documents, Anthony S. Lawson, 38, told the parolee he was planning to sell meth to pay back a loan. That interaction ultimately led to Lawson’s arrest in what the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said is an “ongoing narcotics investigation.”
Lawson made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Thursday following his arrest Wednesday. He’s charged with one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. He faces the greatest maximum punishment for the firearm charge, in this case up to five years in prison.
During the hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson requested $50,000 in bail, citing concerns for community safety and the potential for Lawson to skip bail due to his criminal history and 13 prior warrants.
Rachael Tiller, Lawson’s attorney for the day, argued for either an unsecured bond or else no more than $10,000, saying it had been years since Lawson last failed to appear in court. She added that he’d resided locally his entire life, and said he was working while receiving assistance.
Lawson then informed the court he had been helped on his back taxes by a man, to whom he was required to make regular payments.
Judge Joely Yeager said bail was appropriate given the allegations and the defendant’s past felonies. She settled at $20,000 cash or bond, due, she said, to Lawson's low income level and lack of recent convictions.
According to court documents, Lawson has been convicted of third-degree retail theft, first-degree possession of stolen property, trafficking stolen property and bail jumping.
In a Thursday news release, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said they had served a search warrant at a residence off Halliday Road in Centralia as part of an “ongoing narcotics investigation.”
K9 Kimbo reportedly assisted in the search.
“During the service of the warrant, deputies located suspected narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm inside the residence,” the release stated. “Further investigation revealed the firearm had been reported stolen out of state.”
The probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office provides further context regarding the investigation.
According to the affidavit, Lawson had provided a man with methamphetamine who was serving a community custody sentence. That man allegedly told his community corrections officer about the incident, and described a large sandwich-sized bag of meth in Lawson’s possession.
During the search, deputies reportedly discovered a meth pipe and a small amount of suspected fentanyl that both tested positive for the substances.
They also found a rifle reported stolen in 2024. Lawson allegedly said it belonged to his grandfather.
They did not find the sandwich-sized bag of methamphetamine.
Lawson did, however, admit to giving methamphetamine to the parolee, according to the affidavit, though he reportedly disputed when exactly he gave it to him.
According to jail records, the prosecutor’s office declined to charge counts of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a stolen firearm.
Lawson is scheduled for an arraignment on Feb. 19.
