PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Angeles woman charged after Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies said they found an estimated $100,000 worth of heroin in her car July 22 will face trial Sept. 21.
Colette Marie Vail, 35, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment last Friday. She remained in the Jefferson County jail Thursday on a $250,000 bond.
Sheriff’s Detective Brett Anglin said the seizure, netting 803 grams, was the largest heroin confiscation in the agency’s history.
He estimated the street value at $100,000.
The cost of heroin is about $150 a gram on the street, he said, adding that satisfies an average addict for about one day.
Vail is charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, one count of introducing contraband into a correctional facility and third-degree driving with a suspended license.
A two-day trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 21 in Jefferson County Superior Court at the courthouse at 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
The trial will be preceded by an omnibus hearing today, a readiness hearing Aug. 21 and a pretrial hearing Sept. 4.
All hearings begin at 8:30 a.m.
Dr. Tom Locke, Jefferson County public health officer, said heroin use on the North Olympic Peninsula is growing, as indicated by increased needle exchange, treatment and anecdotal reports.
According to a probable-cause statement written by Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Anderson, a deputy pulled over a vehicle driven by Vail on U.S. Highway 101 near Discovery Bay last month because of an expired registration.
She was traveling westbound toward Port Angeles, Anglin said.
She was taken into custody for investigation of the expired license and a Department of Corrections warrant.
After her arrest, a small amount of heroin was found on her person, Anglin said.
The vehicle was taken to the sheriff’s Port Hadlock office, where a search warrant was obtained.
The search yielded heroin, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, according to the report.
