Fentanyl case involving Cashmere man shifts to federal court

EAST WENATCHEE — A Cashmere man first arrested in August in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose in East Wenatchee is now facing federal charges.

Court records identify the defendant as Casey Matthew Strain, 27. He was taken into custody Aug. 20 by East Wenatchee Police detectives, assisted by the Columbia River Drug Task Force, and initially booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center on controlled substance homicide, delivery of a controlled substance, and using a building for drug purposes. That arrest stemmed from a Dec. 3, 2024 death of a 26-year-old woman at her home on the 1200 block of Eastmont Avenue. According to Douglas County Superior Court documents, investigators found messages between Strain and the victim on Dec. 2 arranging a meeting and reflecting his concern that she might overdose.

Local prosecutors charged Strain in Douglas County Superior Court in August. On Wednesday, they dismissed the case without prejudice — a procedural step that allows refiling later — after the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a parallel federal case. Douglas County Prosecutors do not comment on pending cases. It is unclear whether Strain will continue to be represented by the Wenatchee law firm Hankins Tibbits Mott Drescher as the federal case moves forward.

In the federal filing on Oct. 9 in the Eastern District of Washington, prosecutors charged Strain with two counts of distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The state drug-homicide count did not carry over into federal court. When federal prosecutors take the lead, they typically adopt much of the local investigative work — search warrants, interviews and digital evidence — and present it under federal trafficking statutes that carry substantial penalties if convicted.

East Wenatchee Police emphasized in August that fentanyl remains a driving factor in overdose deaths across North Central Washington, and that the department, working with the regional task force, continues to target the local pill trade. Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris reported earlier this year that 37 people in the county died of drug overdoses in 2024 — more than eight times the total from five years prior — underscoring why cases tied to counterfeit blue fentanyl pills frequently draw federal attention.

The federal case against Strain now proceeds in U.S. District Court. A dismissal “without prejudice” at the state level means local charges could return later, depending on how the federal prosecution unfolds. Further hearing dates and custody status will be set through the federal docket.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media