PORT ANGELES — A 46-year-old Sekiu man has been arrested by the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team on a federal warrant for being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm.
James G. “Chipper” Rode was arrested without incident at the Clallam County Courthouse on Thursday after a court hearing he had on a related matter, OPNET Supervisor Jason Viada said.
Rode has been convicted of 27 felonies and is a Level 3 sex offender, court records show.
The federal warrant issued June 20 stemmed from an ongoing case in Clallam County Superior Court.
Rode was arrested at his Sekiu residence March 2 for investigation of selling drugs and unlawful possession of a firearm.
He was charged March 7 on five counts of delivery of a controlled substance, three counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of possession of heroin and one count of possession of methamphetamine.
An OPNET informant purchased Oxycontin pills from Rode on five occasions between Feb. 14 and March 1, court papers said.
The sales, which occurred in a detached garage at Rode’s West End home, amounted to $990.
Rode pleaded not guilty on March 16 and was released on a $10,000 bail bond.
He was awaiting an Aug. 13 trial in Superior Court when the federal warrant was issued.
Rode was taken into federal custody in Tacoma, Viada said.
The state will likely handle the drug-dealing side of the case, while the federal government will prosecute the weapons violations, Viada said.
At Thursday’s court hearing, defense attorney Stan Myers made a motion to postpone a status hearing because he had two witnesses yet to interview.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge George L. Wood reset the status hearing for July 19.
“OPNET is a proactive regional team of city, county, state and federal officers,” Viada said in a news release.
In other OPNET news, fugitive Cheryl A. King, 51, of Port Angeles was arrested June 21 on a warrant issued that same day.
She was charged in January with four counts of delivery of narcotics, unlawful use of a building for drug purposes and possession of a controlled substance.
Viada said the sales occurred in the heart of Port Angeles.
King failed to appear for a pretrial hearing and is being held in the Clallam County jail on $2,500 bond.
Meanwhile, Christopher G. Kardonsky, 21, and Corey E. Borden, 22, both of Sequim, were charged June 19 with delivery of methamphetamine following another OPNET investigation.
Both were summoned to appear in Clallam County Superior Court July 13.
“There are still several people on the North Olympic Peninsula who are not yet aware that they have delivered controlled substances to OPNET,” Viada said.
“More charges are anticipated.”
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
