Missing taillights lead to arrest of alleged fentanyl user

 An Olympia man was charged with a drug-related felony following a traffic stop that was initiated due to missing taillights.

Daniel Ray Rigley, Jr., 37, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver by the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney on July 22.

Olympia police arrested Rigley on July 19 after an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that was missing taillights while traveling on Fourth Avenue E.

During the traffic stop, the officer recognized the man in the front passenger seat as Rigley “from previous contacts and narcotic investigations.”

The officer said that when he asked dispatchers to check if there were any warrants out for Rigley, the suspect “started to become extremely nervous and fidgety.” Rigley kept touching his pockets “as if he was trying to work something out of his pocket in an inconspicuous manner,” the officer added.

Rigley was arrested after authorities confirmed that he had outstanding warrants. A search of the suspect yielded a bundle of a white substance, a red scale, two smoking pipes, an empty baggie, and $182 in cash in small denominations.

The suspect confirmed to police that the white substance was fentanyl. The officer also noted that the small denominations of cash found on Rigley were “common with someone who sells or distributes controlled substances.”

The fentanyl was later weighed at 20.79 grams.

Rigley was booked into the Thurston County Jail for possession with intent to deliver.