PORT ANGELES — Marie Joan Haller, arrested in a mid-May task force sweep of alleged arrest-warrant scofflaws, was back in jail Monday on drug charges with a busy week in court ahead of her — and facing $350,000 bail.
Haller, 30, was out of jail on $50,000 bail on two possession-with-intent-to-deliver charges that grew out of the “Operation Spring Cleaning” arrests when she was apprehended Thursday for investigation of two more counts of intent to deliver controlled substances based on a June 21 search warrant.
Acting on “credible information from a source,” Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team officers discovered in Haller’s car 2.6 ounces of methamphetamine and heroin, an amount “far beyond personal use,” and a digital scale, according to the probable cause statement.
Haller’s arrest was delayed more than three months “because of an active and ongoing investigation,” OPNET supervisor Brian King, county sheriff’s office chief criminal deputy, said Monday.
Based on her arrest Thursday, Haller will face a formal charge or charges at 1 p.m. today in Superior Court.
Judge Brian Coughenour had already upped Haller’s bail to $250,000 Friday based on the Thursday arrest and added another $100,000 at a hearing Monday.
The increase was based on a second probable cause statement dated Friday and received Monday by the prosecuting attorney’s office.
“During the months of August and September of 2019, OPNET had been hearing from various different sources in different locations that Haller was still making trips to the I-5 corridor and coming back with large quantities of drugs to sell,” according to the probable cause statement, which formed the basis of Monday’s hearing.
“On 9-25-2019, OPNET detectives received information that two different people were assaulted at Haller’s request because they owed her money.”
Haller was arrested Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of her apartment complex in the 100 block of Penn Street in Port Angeles.
In Haller’s car and apartment, they found $1,536 in her wallet in $20 bills and smaller bills, 10.5 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale and plastic bags commonly used to package drugs, according to a probable cause statement.
Haller was arrested May 21 as part of “Operation Spring Cleaning” after Matthew Steven Ennen, 29, was arrested at Haller’s apartment on a state Department of Corrections custody warrant.
“Haller admitted she and Ennen ‘work’ together in their drug sales,” according to a probable cause statement.
Ennen was sentenced Sept. 12 to six years and a day in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver heroin and two counts of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, one of which was on an earlier charge.
Authorities found drugs and paraphernalia in Ennen’s backpack.
Allegedly in Haller’s apartment were drug paraphernalia, $13,325 in cash, more than 1 pound of heroin and nearly 3 ounces of methamphetamine with a combined street value of almost $68,000.
Haller told Coughenour Monday she did not live at the apartments where she was arrested Thursday. She said she stayed there “from time to time” and that she was working in the vacation-rental and property management business.
“The body of evidence reflects she is working now, she is working selling drugs to the community,” Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols responded.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
