A 32-year-old Quilcene man was ordered held on $50,000 bail last week after he allegedly violated the terms of his drug court contract.

Buddy Lee Early, 32, was arraigned in Jefferson County Superior Court in October on two felony charges of stealing mail in Quilcene.

Early petitioned to enter drug court on Nov. 14 and was accepting into the program, where nonviolent, drug-addicted defendants waive their right to a speedy trial and trial by jury and agree to complete supervised treatment over the span of a year or more.

But during a hearing Nov. 28, Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper noted that Early had reportedly relapsed after his release from jail and had used methamphetamine and fentanyl.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Nov. 23 after his treatment provider had discovered drugs and drug paraphernalia in his possession at the place where he had been staying.

During Early's appearance in court Monday, Nov. 28, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tuppence Macintyre asked that Early be held on $50,000 bail until a bed date was available for Early to begin treatment.

Lillian Powers, an attorney representing Early, said the alleged violation was the first during Early's participation in drug court.

"He had a bit of a tumultuous start, as the court may know," Powers told the judge.

Powers noted that Early had remained in contact with his legal counsel, and with a bed date quickly approaching, asked that he be released.

Harper acknowledged Early's recent start in the program, but also stressed what was at stake with a continued relapse. 

"Yeah, it's early in drug court. On the other hand, you've only been in for a couple of weeks and there was already a relapse. And it's alleged that paraphernalia and drugs were found with your personal belongings," Harper told the defendant.

Harper said there was concern about what would happen if Early showed up for treatment and was "not clean and sober."

"If you fail a UA [urine analysis], they very likely would not admit you," Harper told Early, who was appearing in court via video from the county jail.

"That's my concern; is that I don't want to set you up for failure," Harper said.

The judge agreed to set bail at $50,000.

Harper added that Jefferson County defendants had been previously sent to the recovery center in Olalla and were successful in completing treatment.

"I hope you take that seriously and I hope it works for you," Harper said.

Early was arrested Oct. 23 in the Safeway parking lot in Port Townsend. Police had been called on a complaint of a man in a PT Cruiser who had stolen a package from a home in Port Townsend. That incident followed a previous report of someone in a PT Cruiser who had been caught on camera after apparently stealing mail from a mailbox in Quilcene.

A resident seeing someone near his mailbox on his surveillance camera went to investigate the unfamiliar car at the end of his driveway, and told deputies he found a pile of 38 pieces of mail on the ground nearby that had addresses to seven other homes in the area. 

Early was arrested after officers noticed a PT Cruiser at the grocery store in Port Townsend and found Early inside the Safeway.