Four Suspects Charged After Guns, Drugs Found at Centralia Home

Four Centralia residents were charged in Lewis County Superior Court Friday on drug and gun charges after a month-long investigation into methamphetamine sales at a home in a residential neighborhood in Centralia. 

Their arrests came after officers with Lewis County’s Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, the state Department of Corrections and Lewis County SWAT and Sheriff’s Office SET teams served a warrant early Thursday morning at the house. The warrant was obtained after an investigation into alleged drug dealing by Brandon Michael Perrott, 33.

Perrott was charged Friday with four counts of delivery of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $25,000.

Three other suspects were charged as co-defendants. Patrick Neil Martin, 50, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and granted $10,000 bail. Jennifer Novalee Morillon, 31, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and granted $5,000 unsecured bail. Spencer Rene Barney, 28, was charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and granted $10,000 bail.

According to court documents, between May and July investigators used a confidential informant to purchase methamphetamine from Perrott at the house in the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue on four separate occasions. 

The informant was reportedly wearing a recording device during the controlled buys. 

Officers obtained a search warrant for the house based on their investigation, and at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, served that warrant with the help of an armored vehicle and the Lewis County SWAT team.

Martin is the primary resident of the house, according to his defense attorney for the day, Joely O’Rourke. All four suspects were living in the house during the investigation.

“He’s in the process of buying that house,” she said. “He’s lived there for seven years. It’s his house.”

Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey expressed frustration and concern during Friday’s hearings for the defendants after learning that the informant used in the investigation had been represented by all but two of the defense attorneys contracted as court-appointed defense attorneys. 

Because the attorneys have represented the informant, they cannot represent the defendants because of a conflict of interest, Brosey noted. 

“You’re using a CI (associated) with every other attorney on our contract?” Brosey asked.

Brosey said it could take a week to find attorneys to represent the suspects if he has to find attorneys not contracted with the county.

However, Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello noted that only Perrott was arrested with the information provided by the informant, and the others on evidence found during the search warrant. He argued that the contracted defense attorneys therefore would not have a conflict of interest in representing them. Brosey agreed.

Officers arrested Morillon and Martin during the warrant service. They reported finding a bag of methamphetamine in Morillon’s possession and scales and plastic bags in her bedroom. 

Martin allegedly had methamphetamine pipes that tested positive for residue of the drug, bags of methamphetamine in his bedroom and several firearms, including a Winchester Model 70 and a Savage Arms Model 111. 

Martin has convictions for possessing a controlled substance, bail jumping and possessing explosives requiring a license, and is not allowed to own firearms. 

During the search, officers reportedly found a Windham AR-15 rifle and a Springfield .22 rifle in Barney’s room in the house, and arrested him later that day. 

Barney has previous convictions for burglary, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm. 

Perrott was not at the home during the warrant service, and officers learned he moved the previous day to a residence on Reeder Road in Thurston County. He was arrested at that location later that morning. 

All four suspects are scheduled to make their next court appearance on Thursday.