An Olympia man with prior serious offenses may get life in prison for drug, firearm charges
A 48-year-old Olympia man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges related to selling drugs and possessing firearms after being barred from doing so.
Thurston County prosecutors charged Daniel Jason Kearney with eight counts on Jan. 4 including unlawful possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver. He also has been charged with unlawful possession of two firearms.
A Thurston County Narcotics Task Force arrested Kearney Dec. 29 as they executed a search warrant on a boat he reportedly resided in, according to an affidavit of probable cause. On the boat, law enforcement allegedly found meth, cocaine, heroin and two handguns.
The arrest came after detectives reported observing Kearney sell heroin to a confidential source on three occasions, according to court documents.
If convicted, Kearney could get life in prison due to his previous convictions, according to court documents. Thurston County Superior Court sentenced Kearney in 2014 for similar drug and gun charges. In the same case, the court also dismissed rape and kidnapping charges.
Prior to the 2014 case, Kearney had been convicted of first-degree rape in 1991 and six other felony drug offenses among other crimes. He is currently being held in Thurston County jail without bail.
If he maintains his not-guilty plea, Kearney’s case will go to trial. The court set a trial confirmation date for Feb. 25 with a possible jury trial taking place March 8.
An affidavit of probable cause gives the following reconstruction of law enforcement’s investigation:
A confidential source informed the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force that they could purchase controlled substances from Kearney in November 2020.
On Nov. 18, detectives allegedly observed the source purchase a drug from Kearney in a controlled buy operation. After the purchase, the detectives recovered 26.3 grams of heroin from the source who said they paid $1,000 in task force funds for it.
On Nov. 22, a similar transaction reportedly took place. Detectives allegedly observed Kearney sell 26.3 grams of a substance for $1,000 in task force funds.
Detectives repeated this controlled buy exchange with the confidential source again that same day. For the third time, detectives reported observing Kearney sell 24.9 grams of heroin but this time for a lesser amount because it reportedly contained fentanyl.
These exchanges led detectives to execute a search warrant on a boat belonging to Kearney on Dec. 29. Detectives observed Kearney get off the boat as they approached and arrested him at that time.
Inside the boat, they reported finding a black brief case with five bags of suspected methamphetamine weighing 2,570.4 grams, a black digital scale, and a large number of plastic bags. Detectives also reported finding a bag of suspected cocaine, two bags of suspected heroin weighing 197.7 grams and $7,000 cash.
Additionally, detectives reporting finding a Remington R1 1911 handgun and muzzle-style loader handgun within the boat.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
