Sasha A. Morgan, in red, consults with a lawyer, while her co-defendant Jesse R. Bartley, far left, waits his turn to go before the judge for their bail hearings.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – While she was arrested for first-degree assault, 29-year-old Sasha A. Morgan was charged the following day with second-degree assault, in connection with a stabbing incident in Centralia.
Morgan was brought before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday afternoon, where her bail was set at $20,000.
Court documents indicate the victim, a 34-year-old Tacoma man, was stabbed two times in the leg.
Morgan told police it was self defense.
Centralia police yesterday described the incident as related to a failed drug transaction.
According to charging documents and police, officers were called at mid-morning on Tuesday to a disturbance at the 600 block of South Silver Street where they spoke with Morgan, her companion Jesse R. Bartley and the victim.
The victim, Jamie Zurinskas, was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital for treatment of his wounds.
According to the victim, he gave $20 to Bartley who said he and Morgan could get him some methamphetamine but they never came back so he went looking for them.
Charging documents go on the give the following general account:
Zurinskas found Bartley and Morgan in their car, pounded on the window and Bartley got out and said he would make it right.
One version of the story includes yelling, arguing, and an aggressive movement which caused Bartley and Morgan to fall to the ground.
At one point, Morgan told an officer, she ended up on the bottom of the pile of a fight, so she pulled out a knife and stabbed Zurinskas twice.
Morgan and Bartley allegedly had consumed the meth meant for Zurinskas.
Police collected a knife with a bloody four-inch blade and also recovered from the car a scraper baggie with white crystal residue, plus two glass pipes.
Bartley, 25, and Morgan were both charged with conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. Morgan was charged also with second-degree assault, with a deadly weapon enhancement.
Both offenses hold maximum penalties of 10 years in prison.
Bartley, said by police to be transient but by a defense attorney yesterday to be from Winlock, has no felony criminal history, only convictions for driving with a suspended license. His bail was set at $10,000.
Morgan, who lives in Tacoma is formerly of Centralia.
Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meager told the jude she has prior convictions for residential burglary, forgery and theft of rental property, and because of the knife allegation, presented a community safety risk regarding release.
Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke pointed out the judge Morgan’s crimes are at least five years in the past. Morgan’s mother and father attended the hearing.
O’Rourke asked the Judge Nelson Hunt to allow Morgan to be released from jail pending trial on a $10,000 unsecured bond, which her father would co-sign.
Hunt declined.
“She is a drug court former participant, I know quite a bit about her,” he said. “She is a risk to community safety.”
Both qualified for a court-appointed lawyer, and their arraignments were on the court calendar for today.
•••
For background, read “News brief: Fight over meth sale leads to assault with knife” from Wednesday November 18, 2015, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Unfortunately this is a sad case of generational history following itself. It is pretty tough to overcome drug abuse when someone is introduced to drugs and abuse at such a young age by not only your parents, but grand/great-grandparents too. This woman never had a chance based on the home she grew up in and also going through the system as well. Troy and Carl, I have known Sasha for a very long time and tried myself to get her out of the depths of this world. She cannot and will not try to change. She is not capable nor does she have the mental capacity to. As per the raid on Cherry Street, where her daughter was taken out of the squalor from this house, all I can say is thank God it happened. I was able to foster and adopt her beautiful daughter and eight years later her son, who has brought joy to my family and my life. For this I will forever be grateful to Sasha. Sad to say her middle daughter fell through the cracks of the system and they failed her. I wish she could have gotten it together. She is better off in jail and off the streets.
Soaper says:
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 11:54 am
I heard she actually was the one that invented meth. I’ll have to do a little research though before I can 100% confirm it. Stay tuned. You’ll find out here first.
Only if she is very very old, and used to go by the name of Nagai Nagayoshi.
Again, a big batch of hot dope to hit the streets would eliminate ALOT of these tweaks.
So let’s give meth addicts cash and if they keep the drugs you go looking for them? Wow sad case all around.
I heard she actually was the one that invented meth. I’ll have to do a little research though before I can 100% confirm it. Stay tuned. You’ll find out here first.
it’s good to see that we have some young entrepreneurs in Lewis County going into the family business:)
Let me shed some light on Sasha Morgan. Is it her fault that she has a drug problem or it be the way she was brought up. Lot of you may remember a few years ago the big raids the had on Cherry Street where there was several people living there that was dealing drugs. That was her grandpas place. Her mother has been in and out of prison for drugs and just recently the local paper did a story on a lady that said that she thinks she got Centralia started on meth. That is Sasha’s grandma. No excuse to do drugs but it does not help to be brought up around it and influenced.
HAHAHAHHAA SHE NEEDS TO GO TO PRISON.. SHE IS A SCUMBAG WHO HAS BEEN RUINING PEOPLES LIVES… SHE IS A JUNKIE WHO WILL NEVER EVER CLEAN UP.. IM JUST GLAD SOME PEOPLE I KNOW WERE SMART ENOUGH TO GET AWAY FROM THIS NUT JOB JUNKIE
She has anger issues.. I am a family member of jesse bartley and he would swing in for a shower and something to eat periodically.. he’s shown up with many open wounds to the face from that chick.. she would walk past my home and make angry faces at my daughter.. that chick needs to go to prison.. she needs to get help along with a mental evaluation.. that was self defense she is crazy enough to stab people.
The drug war is a risk to community safety. Legalize drugs and this shit stops on a dime. Its been proven in other parts of the World….
I wish those who leave such comments not hide behind a alias. To many times there are statements made carelessly and without any thought. It’s sounds like if was a matter of being on the bottom of two males fighting. Now if you were faced in this situation what would you do? Now add the fear of being hospitalized by someone you cared for just six months earlier of which closed your eye shut and gave you an concussion. I’m not saying any thing about why the fight but if they didn’t give anything to the person why aren’t they also in jail? It sounds as he started the fight. Just a thought. Self defence? My point is think before you comment at least read before you send/share. Share your thoughts but know the facts to do it fair ,
Is she attacking people with knives again?