PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man has been sentenced to five years in prison for possession with intent to deliver nearly $7,000 worth of methamphetamine and heroin, the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team said.
Clayton A. Folsom, 33, also pleaded guilty to attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle for a high-speed chase in Port Angeles last September. His 22-month prison sentence in that case will be served concurrently with the 60-month prison term in the drug case, court papers said.
OPNET detectives said that Folsom possessed and planned to sell 162.6 grams of methamphetamine and 5.8 grams of heroin, which had a combined street value of $6,980.
Folsom pleaded guilty last Thursday to two counts of possession with intent to deliver controlled substances and one count of attempting to elude a police vehicle.
Based on Folsom’s criminal history, the standard sentencing range was five to 10 years in prison, court papers said.
Folsom will be in community custody for one year after his release, Clallam County Superior Court Judge Lauren Erickson ruled.
Port Angeles police were tipped last Sept. 6 that Folsom, who had an outstanding warrant, was at a residence near East Lauridsen Boulevard and South Eunice Street, court papers said.
Folsom fled in a white Dodge Durango, reaching speeds of 55 mph in residential neighborhoods before maxing out at about 80 mph on South Laurel Street, court papers said.
Police discontinued the pursuit for public safety concerns but developed probable cause for Folsom’s arrest.
On Sept. 14, 2020, Sequim police spotted Folsom rummaging though a vehicle on the 300 block of South Fifth Avenue and arrested him without further incident in a nearby apartment, OPNET officials said.
OPNET detectives obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and discovered a bag containing 141.9 grams of suspected methamphetamine and smaller bags containing 20.7 grams of suspected methamphetamine and 5.8 grams of suspected heroin, Detective Josh Powless, OPNET supervisor, said Tuesday.
The street value of the suspected methamphetamine was about $6,400 and the street value of the heroin was about $580, Powless said.
The state Supreme Court this year struck down the state’s felony drug possession law in a 5-4 ruling known as the Blake decision.
While the decision decriminalized simple drug possession, it did not cover possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
