Kayla A.S. Littlejohn, in red jail garb, awaits her turn to go in front of a judge in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A police undercover attempt to buy $1,000 worth of ecstasy in the parking lot of the Safeway store in Centralia didn’t turn out as planned, but one teenager is jailed and a man with her who allegedly pulled a gun on a confidential informant remains at large.
It happened inside a tan-colored Pontiac on Wednesday evening, with Centralia police engaging in surveillance of the expected transaction, according to authorities.
Once the Pontiac left the grocery store lot, and the informant was observed getting out of the car, the informant phoned the officer and said they’d been robbed, according to court documents.
A brief summary of the incident from police the following morning described the robbery victim as a male, however court documents avoid using any gender specific pronouns in reference to the informant.
Law enforcement officers pursued the vehicle for a short time, but gave up the chase for safety reasons, according to police.
According to charging documents, when law enforcement searched the area around the residence of the male they say was behind the wheel, they spoke with an 18-year-old woman at a nearby house; they were told she’d been with him the previous couple of days.
Kayla A.S. Littlejohn, 18, of Olympia, was arrested on Thursday, and booked into the Lewis County Jail.
According to charging documents in her case, she said she was asked by McRae Armstrong to drive him to Safeway.
She said he told her he was going to sell fake MDMA, which was really salt, to someone for $1,000.
The informant told police the male with the gun wasn’t the target of the so-called controlled buy.
According to Littlejohn and the informant, during the drug deal, after Littlejohn counted the money, Armstrong showed a bag of drugs, then reached under the passenger seat, grabbed a small caliber handgun and pointed it at the informant. The informant got out, and the two drove away.
The Centralia Police Department had provided the money.
Centralia Officer Adam Haggerty reported when he first saw the Pontiac, a female was in the driver’s seat, but when officers attempted to catch the car, a male was driving. The Pontiac has been located in Olympia, according to police.
Littlejohn was brought before a judge yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court where she was charged with one count of first-degree robbery and one count of possession with intent to deliver an imitation controlled substance.
The 18-year-old has no criminal history, was cooperative and her father was in the courtroom for the hearing, lawyers told the judge.
“It’s very clear Ms. Littlejohn was not the principle actor in this event,” defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge.
First-degree robbery has a maximum penalty of life in prison. The other offense has a top lockup time of five years.
Judge James Lawler ordered her held on $25,000 bail.
Centralia police did not return phone calls seeking comment about Wednesday’ incident.
Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead informed the judge someone from the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office would be handling the case, because of a potential appearance of a conflict.
The co-defendant’s father is Jim Armstrong, a private investigator who works for defense attorneys in Lewis County cases, Halstead said.
McRae Armstrong doesn’t appear to have been arrested, or at least not booked into the Lewis County Jail, as of this afternoon.
Littlejohn’s opportunity to make a plea in the case will come on Thursday, in Lewis County Superior Court.
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For background, read “Centralia: Suspect in armed robbery at large” from Thursday June 25, 2015, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I hope this and the Arnold drug case are just two fluks and not a continuing pattern of messed up drug operations.
That the Arnolds are now bragging about getting their stuff back from their multimillion drug operation shows something was really messed up by the Centralia task force.
Legal pharmaceuticals kill more people at a higher rate than heroin, crack, or meth.
According to www. drugfreeworld. org:
“Prescription drug abuse causes the largest percentage of deaths from drug overdosing. Of the 22,400 drug overdose deaths in the US in 2005, opioid painkillers were the most commonly found drug, accounting for 38.2% of these deaths.”
Let’s try to remember this the next time law enforcement allows criminals to walk away from crimes in exchange for setting up the neighborhood salt-dealer.
Please explain in detail how the police are keeping use safe from drugs. There is a tavern on every corner or a place to buy alcohol everywhere. Alcohol is just like Herion, yet it can be purchased almost anywhere. I rather have a stoned driver on the road than a drunk any day. Then you say people that are aiding and abetting them and its destroying small towns.. how?? Explain. Whats destroying our country is the welfare system. Fullers for example preys on the poor because lots of people are on welfare and are forced to walk there. So Fullers charges more than what a products really worth knowing that welfareites have no choice. But to buy from them at increased costs. Im more worried about border jumpers than drug addicts. Most of the spanish population is importing drugs into the US. The tunnels at the borders prove this. The war failed. We spent over 80 years fighting Marijuana to make it legal.. the drug war is a failure and endangering the public in a high speed pursuit for a bag of salt and a Centralia Snitch was a waste of public funds any way you look at it. Drugs are part of our culture and will always be. If we want to fight the drug war we need to fight the criminal government first. The Cia funds themselves by importing drugs. Look at Freeway Rick Ross… he worked for the Government selling cocaine.. then you mention mental health Centralia only has one facility that only has one doctor the rest are only Np’s and the wait is like three months. But im sure if the bag of salt was not on the street it would make our country a better place… Just think if we could of used all if the money from the Iraq war and the Banker bail outs on Centralia our streets would be made of Gold. Instead the war in drugs is a priority. LOL the real criminals are the ones in power on the Hill. Tpp, Fast n furious, operation Jade Helm… oh is this confusing too you.. turn off Fox News… get a real education on the facts and research… the drugs are being brought in by the Cia and anyone who does not sell for them is their competition. The CPD are just the minions for big Government Drug Dealers ..LOL heros… im sick of it.. if being a cop is so dangerous then why dont they have video equipment to help with the danger. Oh thats right they dont want to be caught by their own equipment.
They are not laughing stock. Whatever one may think of the war on drugs– its success or failure– they were doing their jobs and at considerable personal risk. It doesn’t matter if this 18-y-o girl was only a helper or her father a PI with perhaps connections in local legal circles: drug addicts, AND the people who aid, enable, and abet them, are directly and indirectly destroying every small town and rural county in this country. They steal public $$$ from rebuilding infrastructures, caring for the mentally ill, properly supervising foster children, and every other good thing govts could & would be doing if it weren’t for reacting to druggies most of whom are beyond help. Throw book at the girl while she has a mind left to read it.
Were paying the Centralia Pd tax money for this kind of activity. Lets not forget informants get the tax money also. You can just go to the corner store and watch the deals go down who needs an informant. Hey detective shannon i have some info you could use. The Herion is being brought in on aircraft from fort lewis inside body bags. Call your friends from the Cia they will bring you up to speed. Dont forget to ask uthem about the plane that crashed that had 6 tons of cocaine on board. Why go after street dealers when you can get the pure from your doctor. Grandma’ s got the good stuff shannon.. Big Police Heros….. LMAO….
Lets not forget that the Centralia police set this whole ordeal up, they caused the high speed pursuit. Mean while while real drugs were harming the community the police were chasing down a bag of salt. Im sure the informants name will never come to light either. Good job detective shannon weeds legal and so is salt. You guys are the laughing stock.