Sequim Man Granted Release Without Bail After Methamphetamine Arrest

A 51-year-old Sequim man arrested after three alleged methamphetamine sales was granted release without monetary bail on November 5 after prosecutors requested $20,000 bail.

Clallam County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Stanley authorized Christopher A. Bayley’s release on personal recognizance at his preliminary appearance, granting the defense request.

Judge Stanley also found probable cause for his arrest.

Investigators reported recovering about 34 grams of suspected methamphetamine when they arrested Bayley in Sequim on November 4, according to a probable-cause statement filed in court.

The release order requires Bayley to maintain a residence in Sequim, remain in Washington and not possess firearms or other deadly weapons. He may not use or possess drugs except as prescribed by a physician and must maintain contact with his attorney and appear in court as directed.

His next appearance was set for 1 p.m. on Monday, November 9, for the filing of formal charges.

Controlled purchases began in February

The probable-cause statement was signed by Rick Larsen, a Sequim police detective assigned to the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, known as OPNET.

Larsen described two controlled purchases in February and a third in late October. Detectives searched a confidential informant before the transactions, supplied money and equipped the informant with a recording and transmitting device, according to the statement.

After each February transaction, the informant told investigators that Bayley had sold them methamphetamine. Larsen wrote that substances from both purchases were tested by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab and confirmed to be methamphetamine.

During the October operation, detectives observed the informant meeting with Bayley. The substance recovered afterward weighed 3.97 grams before testing and field-tested positive for methamphetamine, according to Larsen.

Arrest and statements to detectives

On November 4, detectives watched Bayley leave his residence and followed his truck to the 600 block of West Washington Street in Sequim, where officers arrested him.

OPNET’s news release said the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Sequim Police Department participated in the operation.

Larsen wrote that he found two plastic baggies in Bayley’s pants pocket. He reported pre-test weights of 29.92 grams and 4.34 grams for the baggies and said the suspected methamphetamine field-tested positive.

Larsen wrote that Bayley told detectives during a recorded interview that he sold controlled substances to support his own drug use. According to the detective, Bayley described selling approximately half an ounce at a time to about four customers a day.

Bayley said the methamphetamine he possessed when arrested was for personal use, according to Larsen’s statement.

The allegations have not been proven in court. Bayley is presumed innocent.