PORT ANGELES — A man police said was found walking through a west Port Angeles neighborhood with a wheelbarrow containing stolen property will be released from the Clallam County jail Monday and will enroll in drug court.
Christopher Ray Barnett, 23, of Port Angeles has agreed to enroll in the county’s adult drug court program after being charged with two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of third-degree theft earlier this month, according to court documents.
Barnett was in jail as of Saturday on $1,000 bail.
Barnett originally had pleaded not guilty and had a trial date set for April 22, with a status hearing last Friday.
Those who enroll in the Clallam drug court program are eligible for having their charges dismissed if they follow certain requirements, including completing a drug treatment program and attending weekly hearings.
Port Angeles police arrested Barnett at about 5 a.m. March 2 after an unidentified Port Angeles man chased him down and caught him in a parking lot near the intersection of West Eighth and C streets, according to police accounts.
The unidentified man had climbed out of his car to help when the wheelbarrow reportedly tipped over, police said, but Barnett ran.
The investigating officers said the wheelbarrow and the $200 worth of tools and other items that were in it had been stolen from a home in the area.
________
Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
