A Centralia man returned to jail on March 19 after allegedly violating the conditions of his residential drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA) by consuming fentanyl on multiple occasions while at an American Behavioral Health Systems (ABHS) facility in Washington state.
Steven D. Peterson, 38, is being held without bail pending a DOSA revocation hearing scheduled for March 26. He is represented by public defender Joshua House.
Peterson faces an additional count of possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local correctional facility, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
A judge set bail at $25,000 cash or bond in the new matter during a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday, March 20.
According to court documents, Peterson — who was found guilty of delivery of a controlled substance in September 2025 — is accused of consuming fentanyl on or about Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 23, March 5 and March 13 while in treatment.
He was sentenced to the residential DOSA — which included 24 months of community custody and up to six months of inpatient treatment — on Oct. 15, 2025.
A violation notice from the state Department of Corrections (DOC), dated March 19, indicates Peterson’s “adjustment at this point is poor,” as it references three “stipulated agreements for consuming fentanyl” in November and December of 2025.
The notice states that Peterson was arrested on Jan. 7 and booked into the Lewis County Jail “for consuming fentanyl again,” which resulted in a judge sentencing him to “15 days in confinement and to return to and successfully complete a 91-day in-patient program.”
The notice includes lab results “proving his continued consumption during his in-patient stay.”
“He has since been discharged from ABHS for his continued consumption and rule violations,” the notice states.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, a community corrections officer (CCO) searched Peterson prior to booking him into the Lewis County Jail on March 19.
The CCO reportedly asked Peterson whether there was “anything on him.”
Peterson allegedly denied possessing anything.
A corrections deputy searched Peterson later and allegedly “located two rolled up pieces of tin foil inside the right coin pocket of Mr. Peterson's pants,” the affidavit states. “The tin foil contained a brown substance.”
A test of the substance reportedly showed a “presumptive positive for fentanyl.”
Peterson was originally charged in August 2025 for one count each of delivery of a controlled substance and possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance after Centralia police officers investigated three people passed out in a vehicle at the intersection of Fords Prairie Avenue and Harrison Avenue.
During the investigation, the officers learned that the suspects’ alleged supplier, Peterson, lived across the street.
Peterson ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of delivery of a controlled substance. The court dismissed the count of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver.
Prior to his conviction, Peterson had no criminal history, according to court documents.
