Forrest E. Amos, facing a trial on a third strike offense, appears in court as he is charged with witness intimidation from inside the Lewis County Jail.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – An alleged local drug trafficker who police believe continued his activities from inside prison walls last year now stands accused of a plan to hurt or intimidate witnesses in his upcoming trial, including having someone cut the brakes or plant a bomb in the car of Ryan “No Legs” Shewell.
Shewell, a former Chehalis resident, feared Forrest E. Amos, and moved out of town after agreeing to testify, according to local prosecutors. He lost his lower legs and fingers to a disease he contracted as a child.
Amos, 31, was charged late last year in Lewis County Superior Court with leading organized crime, in connection with sales of Oxycodone before he was sent to prison and while he was there, allegedly, using fabricated telephone numbers and other means to direct and set up deals on the outside. A conviction would be a third strike for the former Chehalis area man.
Lewis County prosecutors yesterday charged Amos with four counts of intimidating a witness.
They claim he managed to smuggle a “hit list” out of the Lewis County Jail where he has been held since December.
His sister Sylvia Pittman, 27, was arrested Tuesday and charged yesterday with the same offenses, as police allege she delivered the list to another so-called supporter-conspirator in the Azteca parking lot in Centralia earlier this year. She told police she was trying to help Amos beat his charges, according to court documents.
The page had four names and addresses on it, according to prosecutors.
Amos is being held on $1 million bail, requested by prosecutors previously because, they said, even behind bars, he wasn’t really controllable.
Yesterday, Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Eric Eisenberg asked a judge to place him in solitary confinement pending his trial.
Judge Nelson Hunt said he couldn’t do that but did order that Amos be prohibited from using a telephone or the jail’s internet-based video visitation. He also ordered that all of Amos’s mail would be searched, except any that specifically has his lawyer’s name and address on it.
According to charging documents, Amos has been using some of the same methods in jail he was using in prison to gather supporters who would in turn help him tamper with witnesses in an attempt to get out of his pending charges.
Law enforcement has been monitoring him, and learned Amos was also using “legal mail” to continue his criminal intentions without detection, according to prosecutors.
Centralia’s Officer Adam Haggerty contacted Lt. James Pea at the jail who assured him it was not possible to use legal mail in that fashion, charging documents state.
“However, it was later discovered that it was in fact happening,” prosecutors write.
The court documents don’t go into any detail about how legal mail is supposed to work at the Lewis County Jail or how its process was corrupted.
Charging documents allege Amos has used supporters in attempts to pressure his former girlfriend, a key witness, Jennifer Lantau not to testify.
The documents describe how a confidential source of Officer Haggerty’s revealed to Haggerty in mid-April information about Amos’s plans.
Haggerty was told, according to charging documents, Amos wanted supporters to drive to Port Orchard to physically harm Shewell, as well as hurt another witness Kari Arndt-McBride.
He allegedly wanted another key witness Katherine Levy Miles verbally intimidated.
Finally on the list, was Heather Caulkins. Amos wanted someone to plant heroin and a gun in her vehicle and then call Crime Stoppers, charging documents allege.
Also charged in the intimidation are “John Does”, as the state believes there are several co-conspirators involved who are as-yet unidentified.
Amos’s alleged drug trafficking organization from inside prison walls came to light a year ago when Centralia police revealed an investigation that spanned four counties and caught up to some 20 individuals including a nurse practitioner; an investigation during which items seized included approximately 1,650 illegal prescription pills, 156 marijuana plants, five vehicles, $19,000 cash and a house in south Chehalis.
•••
For background, read:
• “Centralia police track illegal Oxycodone trade to prison inmate” from Tuesday June 18, 2013, here
• “Alleged Lewis County Oxycodone dealer charged with organized crime” from Wednesday December 4, 2013, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
How can we trust the Centralia Police when they get caught in lies like this one here. http://youtu.be/uRcutCq03FM The Centralia police claim that there interrogation equipment does not work when they threaten people.
I thought it was sex…whoa, I’m
way off!!!
It is all about money. Money is what drives everyone & everything in this world.
I’ve known Amos since he was in grade school and living next to Bent Arrow on Jackson highway. From what I’ve seen the charges are earned and not something trumpt up.
At least he’s off the junk now.
Where are the two other Amos Brothers? Are they going to carry out the hits or is the Centralia PD going to serve and protect by placing police cars outside of the homes of the witnesses on the list. The witnesses names should have never been released, this Trial is going to be a big joke. The sad thing about the whole case is that Amos was trading Marijuana for Pain pills, just goes to prove that people favor marijuana over pills when their in Pain. Believe me I know I was very close to Forrest. But He’s not the big Drug Lord like he’s made out to be. He was very addicted to pills and needs drug treatment not life in Prison. The Centralia Police Department should be ashamed of themselves by wasting all of our tax money on Drug addiction and addicts that need help. What happened too drug court? does Amos Qualify?