A San Juan Island teen accused of dealing small amounts of cocaine and heroin to an informant on four separate occasions pleaded not guilty to four felony drug offenses Monday in San Juan County Superior Court.
He is slated to stand trial March 26.
A senior at Friday Harbor High, Christopher Faylor, 18, was taken into custody Friday at the high school, at about 10:30 a.m., and charged at the time with four felonies involving the alleged sale and distribution of heroin and cocaine.
He was released without bail following Monday’s arraignment hearing, and will be under court orders and electronic home surveillance pending trial.
A San Juan resident of 15 years, Faylor was arrested following a four-month narcotics investigation that was initiated after local authorities received numerous tips that the young had been using and dealing drugs, according to Sheriff Rob Nou.
“Many people throughout the community have expressed grave concern about the availability of drugs, especially hard drugs, to the youth on San Juan Island,” Nou said in a prepared statement following the arrest. “This case both validates those concerns, and is a clear illustration of the commitment of the Sheriff’s office to pursue and prosecute those who traffic in narcotics in our communities.”
According to prosecutors, Faylor sold $70-$100 worth of cocaine to an informant working with the Sheriff’s department on three separate occasions, beginning in early September, and sold the same informant a similar amount of heroin in a separate instance.
A Class B felony, delivery of cocaine or heroin carries maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $25,000 fine, or both.
Faylor has no prior criminal convictions, according to court documents.
— Scott Rasmussen
