A Chehalis woman was charged in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday for her alleged connection to a meth operation investigated by the Joint Narcotic Enforcement Team (JNET).
The woman, identified in court documents as Angela L. Folden, 46, is accused of renting a storage unit in her name for Michael David Deal, 41, of Centralia, who is currently facing charges in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly selling meth in Lewis County.
Deal allegedly stored fentanyl, guns, bombs and meth in the storage unit, which was located at a self storage company in the 1500 block of Bishop Road.
Deal was arrested alongside co-defendants Jose Francisco Lopez Jr., 46, of Everett, and Aniesa Lee Stamper, 27, of Chehalis, on Nov. 21 after JNET executed search warrants on two properties and a vehicle in Lewis County.
The three co-defendants are accused of selling meth within the boundaries of Lewis County between Feb. 1 and Nov. 21.
Deal allegedly spoke with Folden and another female subject via the jail’s phone system on Nov. 22 and arranged to have Folden and the other female subject “move incriminating evidence that had not been located by JNET,” including Deal’s clothes, according to court documents.
The Chronicle is electing not to release the other female subject’s name at this time as she was not facing charges in Lewis County Superior Court as of Tuesday.
Investigators with the Centralia Police Department checked the area around the female subject’s residence on Nov. 22 and a K-9 reportedly alerted to the presence of controlled substances around the subject’s vehicle, according to court documents.
A detective contacted the female subject, who “stated she believed the narcotics were in the black suitcase she recovered from Ms. Folden,” according to court documents.
Investigators later executed a search warrant on the vehicle, which yielded eight firearms, an oil filter silencer, and a black Pelican case containing approximately one pound of suspected meth and “a tan tote,” according to court documents.
The tote reportedly contained a firework and “two suspected metal pipe bombs surrounded by multiple containers of smokeless powder,” according to court documents. One of the suspected pipe bombs “had yellow tape wrapped around it and wires affixed to it.”
The Washington State Patrol responded and, during their investigation, “they determined there were three operational explosive devices, which would have caused a large explosion if detonated,” according to court documents.
When contacted by JNET detectives, Folden allegedly “admitted she rented a storage unit in her name for Mr. Deal, who she acknowledged was a methamphetamine dealer,” according to court documents. She allegedly “denied knowing that Deal was storing fentanyl, guns and bombs in the storage unit, but admitted he was probably storing methamphetamine in the unit,” according to court documents.
Folden reportedly guided JNET detectives to the storage unit, “which they noted was now completely empty,” sometime between Nov. 22 and Nov. 27.
Folden was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 4:20 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 27 and was charged Tuesday, Nov. 28 with two counts of violation of the uniform controlled substance act. Each charge is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
While the state asked for $250,000 bail due to her alleged connection to the larger JNET investigation and the case against Deal, Lopez and Stamper, Judge James Lawler set Folden’s bail at $25,000.
“I understand there may be some association … (but) she’s not charged as an accomplice,” Lawler said of the cases on Tuesday.
Arraignment was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 30.
