By Denver Pratt / The Bellingham Herald
An Everett man accused of supplying fentanyl powder to two prisoners in his housing area in the Whatcom County Jail — resulting in the death of one man and the hospitalization of another following suspected overdoses — pleaded not guilty to multiple felonies Friday.
Angel Lewis Leffingwell, 38, pleaded not guilty in Whatcom County Superior Court to controlled substance homicide, possession of a controlled substance while in a correctional facility and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, all felonies.
Leffingwell appeared Friday from the jail courtroom in a yellow-colored jail uniform with a sheriff’s deputy standing directly behind him. His defense attorney, Matthew Palmer, told the court that Leffingwell was unable to physically sign documents because of the way he was shackled for his court appearance.
Leffingwell’s jury trial was tentatively scheduled for May 20.
Andre J. Haas, 28, was found dead in his cell in the downtown Whatcom County Jail around 10:30 a.m. March 13 from a suspected drug overdose. Haas’ cellmate, a 28-year-old man whom The Bellingham Herald is not identifying publicly, was taken to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment of a suspected overdose. The man was treated and later released, the Bellingham newspaper previously reported.
Haas’ autopsy was conducted March 14 and preliminary toxicology results were positive for fentanyl. Samples were collected from Haas and his cellmate and were sent to the state crime lab for testing.
“The examination revealed no other indicators of medical conditions that would have caused Haas to die at this time,” court documents state.
Haas’ body was released to his family March 20 for burial purposes, according to court records. The Bellingham Herald asked the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office whether it has ruled on time, cause and manner of death for Haas.
Leffingwell is accused of sliding a piece of paper containing white powder on it underneath the door of Haas’ cell in the downtown Whatcom County Jail shortly before 10:18 a.m. March 13. Haas’ cellmate told detectives he and Haas snorted the powder substance, which is suspected to be fentanyl, within minutes of receiving it, and the next thing he remembers is waking up in an ambulance.
Jail staff responded to Haas’ cell — cell 1 in housing unit 2A — for a distress call. An incarcerated person in the cell next door had hit the intercom button and said there was a medical emergency occurring in Haas’ cell.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputies responded to find Haas, who was “bluish purple” in the face, and his cellmate unresponsive on the floor.
Life-saving measures, including the use of an automatic external defibrillator, were taken and multiple doses of Narcan were administered. Narcan is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids, such as oxycodone, heroin and fentanyl, and is often used during suspected opioid overdoses.
Haas could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the jail. Haas’ cellmate was revived following several doses of Narcan and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a suspected overdose, and was later released.
The circumstances of Haas’ death and how Leffingwell obtained the drugs while incarcerated are under investigation by the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team, or LEMART, which is a multi-jurisdictional investigation team.
The results of the LEMART investigation are expected to be made public, according to a previous statement from Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tanksley.
Leffingwell’s bail in the homicide case was set at $2 million at his first appearance March 18. A no-contact order was also put in place between Leffingwell and Haas’ cellmate. That no-contact order was reissued at Leffingwell’s arraignment Friday morning.
Leffingwell was already incarcerated in the downtown jail on unrelated charges prior to the overdoses after he allegedly fled from Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies following a traffic stop on Chuckanut Drive in late February. Following the traffic stop, law enforcement allegedly found a ripped-open bag of methamphetamine and two blue pills suspected to be fentanyl in Leffingwell’s vehicle. They also found suspected meth on Leffingwell after he was detained, The Herald previously reported.
He was booked into the downtown jail just before 5 a.m. Feb. 25, jail records show.
Roughly 42 hours later, around 11:28 p.m. Feb. 26, corrections deputies responded to the jail for a drug complaint involving Leffingwell. Deputies had received a report of drug involvement in housing unit, or cellblock, 2B, where Leffingwell was incarcerated.
Leffingwell was removed from housing unit 2B while deputies conducted a cell search. During a search of Leffingwell, he removed a bag of suspected fentanyl pills from a body cavity and an additional suspected fentanyl pill from his mouth, according to court records.
In total, Leffingwell had roughly 7.9 grams of suspected fentanyl-laced pills while he was incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail, court documents state.
A little more than two weeks later, Leffingwell allegedly provided the fentanyl powder that is suspected to have led to Haas’ death and the hospitalization of Haas’ cellmate. Leffingwell had been moved into the housing unit the night prior.
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