Aberdeen man charged with hit and run, drug offenses

An Aberdeen man plead not guilty to hit-and-run and drug charges on Monday in Superior Court stemming from an incident that took place in December.

Christopher Lee Butterfield, 29, is charged with causing a hit-and-run injury accident and possessing methamphetamine after he allegedly backed his vehicle into a Hoquiam man before police found drugs in his possession.

According to court documents, Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a a hit and run injury at 2221 E. Hoquiam Road on Dec. 14 on reports of a man, later identified as Butterfield, backing into the owner of the residence and fleeing the scene.

The owner told police he and his son had gone to the property and parked their vehicle out of sight around 6 a.m. to see if they could catch someone stealing anything from the property, as many thefts had occurred at the house lately. Shortly after 7:50 a.m., a white Ford pickup arrived at the property, driving past two “no trespassing” signs and then slamming on the brakes when the owner came into view.

When the owner of the property attempted to walk to the driver side of the vehicle, the pickup backed towards him and the handle on the canopy window struck him in the chest. The trailer hitch went between the owner’s legs and the truck struck his right knee before he fell to the ground.

As the vehicle was backing to the right, the owner grabbed onto the truck’s windshield wiper in fear he would be run over by the left front tire and hung on for 25 or 30 feet while the vehicle was moving, before the side of the vehicle approached two trees and the owner had to let go.

Butterfield and the passenger were later located near US 101 near MP 103 where they had abandoned the pickup truck.

When contacted by police, Butterfield said he had been given a ride by a “crazy guy” named “Dave” at the time of the incident, according to court documents. Police showed Butterfield a picture taken during the incident that showed the truck and the passenger, refuting his story.

When asked by police if there was anything inside of his backpack, Butterfield said there was a loaded syringe and requested the officer “just empty it out and forget about it,” according to court documents.

After Butterfield was taken to the Hoquiam Police Department, a syringe, cotton ball and a metal spoon was discovered in Butterfield’s backpack. The cotton ball found tested positive for methamphetamine and Butterfield was booked into jail.