Two convicted felons were arrested after deputies allegedly found them passed out in a car in Port Hadlock with loaded handguns in their possession.

Both are facing charges of unlawful possession of a firearm.

Dalton Ray Decker, 19, and Lawrence Eugene Heasley, 25, were arraigned Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court.

Both entered pleadings of not guilty to the charges.

The pair were arrested after deputies were called to the intersection of Seventh Avenue and East Kinkaid Street just before 4 a.m. Monday, Aug. 8 after someone reported a vehicle that had been parked in the roadway for 30 minutes while the headlights were still on.

A deputy found a white Chevrolet Impala in the road with the engine off but the running lights on. Three people were passed out inside, and the officer could also see car stereos and a computer monitor stacked in the back seat, with cut wiring on the stereos that made them look stolen.

After another deputy arrived, one of the officers woke up the driver, who was wearing a black ski mask with holes for the eyes and mouth.

Decker, the driver of the car, was told to get out, and the deputy grabbed him as he made a reaching motion inside.

Once Decker was out of the vehicle, the deputy looked to where Decker had been reaching and found a loaded 9mm handgun.

The other deputy pulled Heasley, a front-seat passenger in the Impala, out of the vehicle. Heasley was found to be sitting on a loaded Taurus pistol that had the safety lever off, according to court records.

Heasley, is a Suquamish resident. A deputy quickly learned Heasley was a convicted felon who was most recently charged with second-degree burglary and could not legally have a firearm in his possession.

When asked about the gun, Heasley allegedly told a deputy the weapon did not belong to him, and he thought Decker had put the gun on his seat at some point. He said he was passed out for part of their trip from Kitsap County, and also said “he had no recollection of how, or why, they ended up in Port Hadlock,” according to a probable cause report.

Heasley then asked for an attorney and questioning by law enforcement was halted.

Decker was not questioned, according to court papers, because he did not acknowledge his Miranda warnings when they were read to him.

He was found to be a convicted felon, with a recent conviction for robbery. He was arrested for first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, as well as unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon after a switchblade was found in his pocket while he was being searched at the time of his arrest.

Both Decker and Heasley were booked into Jefferson County Jail early last week.

Bail was set at $5,000 for Decker, and $10,000 for Heasley.

In a post on social media, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said six firearms were found in the vehicle, and one of the weapons may have been stolen.

Officers also found several grams of suspected methamphetamine.

The sheriff’s office said that per state law, both of the men will receive a warning letter for possession of methamphetamine.

A third person was also found in the vehicle but was released and not charged.

Decker and Heasley appeared for their arraignment Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court via a Zoom link from the county jail.

Superior Court Judge Keith Harper scheduled a trial date of Oct. 10 to
Oct. 13 for both defendants.