A Chehalis man who was found passed out with a wide variety of narcotics and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle in June is now facing felony drug manufacturing charges in Lewis County Superior Court.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department found the narcotics after they responded to a report of two people who appeared to be passed out inside a vehicle that was parked at an auto parts store in Centralia on June 25.
“Inside the vehicle, in plain view from the outside,” the officer reportedly saw two pills on the floor he “believed to be fentanyl” and saw a straw and foil wrapper containing “suspected drug residue,” according to court documents.
The vehicle’s driver, Matthew Cole Gilmon, 29, reportedly gave verbal consent for the officer to search his vehicle, “but when it became time for him to fill out the written consent to search form, it was apparent he was under the influence of a controlled substance due to his inability to fill out basic portions of the form,” according to court documents.
The officer obtained and executed a search warrant for the vehicle that same day.
In total, officers located 35.5 grams of “a substance believed to be heroin,” 16.1 grams of “a substance believed to be methamphetamine,” 11 “purple pills with ’88’ printed on the side,” 30.7 grams of “a purple powder believed to be the same as the pills and suspected as fentanyl” in addition to strips and injectable versions of Suboxone, a branded prescription used to treat opioid addictions.
Officers also found drug paraphernalia and tools including empty bags, plastic gloves, scales and metal presses “believed to be used in preparing narcotics for sale,” as well as multiple cellphones, USB storage devices and “notebooks believed to be drug ledgers based on the writing.”
In addition, officers found $3,460 “suspected to be proceeds from selling narcotics” and four watches “believed to be acquired in exchange for narcotics,” according to court documents.
Inside a backpack “believed to belong to Gilmon” that was in the vehicle, officers found a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 firearm with a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber, according to court documents.
Gilmon’s criminal history prohibits him from possessing a firearm in the state of Washington.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office charged Gilmon in July with one count each of manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Gilmon was issued a summons notice for an Aug. 2 mandated hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.
While the summons required an in-person presence in court, Gilmon appeared virtually via-WebEx due to a COVID-19 diagnosis he received 10 days prior, though he said he had recovered from the disease. A judge delayed the hearing one day so Gilmon could take a COVID-19 test and come to court in person, but Gilman did not come to court for that hearing.
Due to that lack of appearance, Judge J. Andrew Toynbee authorized a no-bail warrant Wednesday for Gilmon’s arrest.
Gilmon showed up in court a half an hour after his case was called and said he was late due to issues getting a COVID-19 test.
“The only reason why I did not come yesterday and was late today was because I was trying to get that cleared up,” he said of the COVID-19 testing issue.
Toynbee agreed to recall the warrant and set the case over one week in order to give Gilmon adequate time to recover and meet with his attorney.
