A Centralia man who was accepted into Lewis County Drug Court after he allegedly stole a motorized shopping cart from a grocery store in 2018 is back in court after going missing for six years, at least partially due to being picked up by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Juan Manuel Lopez Abrego, 25, was initially charged with one count of second-degree theft and one count of possession of a controlled substance on April 25, 2018, in Lewis County Superior Court.
Lopez is accused of taking the cart from the Centralia Safeway and driving it down the road toward the baseball fields before parking it in the parking lot of a Starbucks next to the Safeway. When questioned by an officer, Lopez allegedly said “he did not steal the cart and said he only borrowed it and planned to return it,” adding that “there was no sign on the cart stating it could not be removed from the property.”
Lopez was released from the Lewis County Jail on $10,000 unsecured bail on April 25, 2018. He was arrested again after he failed to appear at his arraignment hearing, where he entered a not-guilty plea and was released again on $10,000 unsecured bail.
Lopez was accepted into Lewis County Drug Court — is a felony diversion program where successful graduates have their criminal charges dismissed — on July 23, 2018, according to court documents.
The program typically lasts between 16 and 22 months, with participants receiving support and guidance from a team of professionals.
However, Lopez missed a required drug court hearing on July 25, 2018, with Lewis County Drug Court Manager Stephanie Miller declaring July 30, 2018, that “his whereabouts are unknown.”
A Lewis County Superior Court judge issued a no-bail bench warrant for Lopez’s arrest on July 30, 2018.
Lopez did return to court on Aug. 16, 2018, where he was advised that he had a mandatory drug court review hearing at 3 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2018.
Lopez was not present at that hearing.
His whereabouts remained unknown for six years, with Lewis County Drug Court rescinding his acceptance to the program on April 22, 2019.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed Lopez’s case following the Washington state Supreme Court decision State v. Blake in 2021, which overturned the state’s drug possession law. The court did reinstate Lopez’ theft charge in January 2024 after learning that Lopez was in custody in Thurston County, according to court documents.
In that case, which was filed Jan. 3, 2024, in Thurston County Superior Court, Lopez was charged with resisting arrest, fourth-degree assault and third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer. The charges were dismissed in August 2024 due to competency concerns, according to court documents.
Lopez was transferred back into the Lewis County Jail on that bench warrant at 1:20 a.m. on Friday, April 19, 2025, according to jail records.
Upon his return to Lewis County, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office learned that Lopez had previously been picked up by ICE and was held in their custody for an indeterminate length of time during his six-year disappearance.
Lopez is now ineligible for Lewis County Drug Court due to ICE’s involvement, meaning that his case now has to be reviewed, Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meager told the court during a hearing on Monday, April 21.
A review hearing is scheduled for May 1.
Information on the status of Lopez’s immigration case was not publicly available as of Wednesday morning.
