A Battle Ground man initially charged in the theft of $225,000 of travel trailers now faces drug charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
On Sept. 7, Matthew Scott, 39, appeared for an arraignment hearing in Clark County Superior Court. Alongside charges of theft and burglary, Scott now faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and charges to deliver a controlled substance.
Scott was arrested on Aug. 23 after an investigation into a theft of travel trailers north of Vancouver about a week prior.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office first learned of the theft on Aug. 15. The victim had been away from the property the theft occurred at in the 7300 block of Northeast 43rd Avenue in Vancouver since Aug. 11, leaving a four-day timeframe for the theft to occur, according to a probable cause affidavit.
After investigating a lead from an anonymous tipster the sheriff’s office eventually pulled over Scott. He told authorities someone he knew had dropped off one of the allegedly stolen trailers at his residence but he did not identify the person and asked for a lawyer.
A new affidavit listing the new crimes stated Scott’s vehicle was searched three days after his arrest. The search uncovered “evidence of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver,” according to the affidavit. Further investigation found more than an ounce of a “white crystalline substance” determined in a field test to be methamphetamine. The search also uncovered several containers with more than 300 pills police believed were fentanyl.
A wallet uncovered by authorities in the vehicle showed credit cards in Scott’s name, the affidavit stated. Based on the hundreds of dollars in the wallet and the amount of drugs in the vehicle, Scott received the charges.
Scott has a readiness hearing for his charges set for Nov. 23.
