Pe Ell man charged for July overdose death in Centralia

Aug. 23—Bail has been set at $10,000 for the Pe Ell man charged Wednesday with controlled substance homicide following the fatal overdose of a woman in Centralia last July.

The man, identified as Darrin Roy Noble, 46, of Pe Ell, was one of two subjects found unconscious in a parked vehicle in the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue at about 10:18 a.m. on July 14. The other subject has been identified as Deseray Porter, 31, of Chehalis.

"Prior to the arrival of police, medical personnel observed some signs of life in the man (Noble) and began to administer life saving measures," according to a news release from the Centralia Police Department. "The male was transported from the scene and later recovered. Porter was declared deceased at the scene."

The Lewis County Coroner's Office has since ruled Porter's cause of death as acute cocaine and fentanyl intoxication, according to court documents. A toxicology report also showed Porter had caffeine, tramadol and topiramate in her system at the time of her death.

Porter's brother, who had located his sister and Noble in the vehicle on July 14 and called 911, identified Noble as Porter's "on again, off again boyfriend," according to court documents. He reportedly told law enforcement personnel Porter had called him between 6 and 7 p.m. the previous day asking what type of pizza the family wanted "as she was off work and going to get pizza with Mr. Noble," according to court documents. Porter's brother "said that is the last time he heard from her, and she never arrived with pizza."

When Porter didn't show up to work at the Lucky Eagle Casino the morning of July 14, Porter's brother went looking for her, he said. He ultimately found her and Noble in a car parked outside a pizza parlor in the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue, according to court documents.

Noble was reportedly in the driver seat and Porter was in the passenger seat.

A search of the vehicle yielded a bottle of tramadol prescribed to Noble, a "small baggie with a white powder substance" that "appeared consistent with fentanyl or cocaine" in the driver's side door, a cooler in the back passenger seat containing a plastic baggie of psychedelic mushrooms and a loaded semi-automatic 9mm pistol in the glove compartment. Narcan and Naloxone were also located "in various locations in the vehicle," according to court documents.

A detective who located Porter's cellphone reportedly observed a text chain from the afternoon of July 13 in which Porter reportedly said she was "hurting" and Noble allegedly offered to give her "tramadol" and "coke," according to court documents.

After receiving medical treatment for his overdose, Noble was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22.

He was charged Wednesday, Aug. 23, with one count of controlled substance homicide, which is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

"He is charged with a violent offense that resulted in someone's death," Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson said at Noble's preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday. He asked Judge James Lawler to set Noble's bail at $50,000 due to community safety concerns.

Defense attorney Joe Clark, however, asked Lawler to release Noble on unsecured bail due to Noble's clean criminal record.

"I know this is a serious charge ... but he is one of those rare individuals who has done nothing but mind his Ps and Qs for most of his life," Clark said Wednesday.

Lawler ultimately set Noble's bail at $10,000, saying, "I find that there is some threat to community safety."

Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 31.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to call Detective Sergeant Dave Clary at 360-330-7680.

Local resources for substance abuse disorders and recovery can be found through the Recovery Navigator Program at https://www.grbhaso.org/rnp or by calling the crisis line at 1-800-803-8833.

Information about the dangers of fentanyl can be found at https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.