Alleged drug dealer arrested in Naselle after fleeing cops

Published 2:27 pm Monday, May 27, 2024

MEGLER — After at least three controlled buys of illegal narcotics, a south county man has landed himself in jail with several felony charges. The arrest adds another to a list of cases in which the Pacific County Joint Drug Task Force has worked to interrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics.

The suspect, Chris W. Brumitt, 36, was arrested on May 21 after fleeing from officers during a traffic stop near the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

According to court records, officers tracked Brumitt down near the bridge and initiated a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 101 at milepost 1. Brumitt, who also had a female passenger, asked if he could turn around and pull off the road at a safer spot. Instead, he allegedly fled.

“[An officer] informed me that he had observed Brumitt traveling approximately 100 mph northbound on [State Route] 401, in the southbound lane,” an investigating officer stated in court records.

Brumitt’s vehicle was later located in the Naselle area at Peaceful Hill Cemetery, where a resident saw him and a female running through a field. Multiple Pacific County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and assisted in a manhunt.

According to court records, officers learned from the female passenger that she and Brumitt had just picked up a load of drugs to sell, which included fentanyl. Officers also located paraphernalia and suspected methamphetamine in her purse.

“Brumitt did not wish for [his] conversation to be recorded,” an officer stated in court records. “Brumitt admitted to selling enough controlled substances to support his and [her] own use and that typically he only operated as a middle-man.

“Brumitt stated that they had purchased controlled substances recently, and that we would find about a quarter-ounce fentanyl powder where they had been hiding,” the officer added.

Deputies could not locate the substance due to dense vegetation where they were hiding.

The task force conducted controlled buys through Brumitt on undisclosed dates in January and May that acquired alleged fentanyl. The suspected controlled substances were sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for analysis.

Brumitt was booked into the Pacific County Jail for delivery of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, failure to obey a police officer, reckless driving, second-degree criminal trespass, obstructing a police officer, and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

He appeared for a preliminary hearing on May 22, and Judge Donald J. Richter set his bail at $50,000 and scheduled his arraignment for May 24.