Whatcom County man suspected of dealing drugs found with half-pound of heroin in truck
A Whatcom County man with multiple previous felony convictions, including crimes involved in a 2001 pursuit that led to the death of a Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputy, was arrested Thursday night with a half-pound of heroin and other drugs in his car.
The sheriff’s office booked Adrian G. Sassen-Van Elsloo, 38, into Whatcom County Jail on Friday, Nov. 20, on suspicion of three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and one count each of possession of Suboxone, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.
Though he has multiple felony convictions, Sassen-Van Elsloo is most notably known to Whatcom County law enforcement for leading a chase that resulted in the death of Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Herzog.
Herzog sat in the passenger seat of a police cruiser on Sept. 12, 2001, when the deputy-in-training driving their car pursued a car driven by Sassen-Van Elsloo. The cruiser crashed. Herzog died the next day. Sassen-Van Elsloo was convicted of two felonies, and a Superior Court judge sentenced him to four years in prison.
More recently, Sassen-Van Elsloo was wanted by the Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force on suspicion he was dealing narcotics and probable cause to arrest him following a drug investigation earlier this year, according to sheriff’s office news release on Thursday’s arrest.
Sheriff’s office SWAT team members training in the Acme area at approximately 10:30 p.m. Thursday spotted Sassen-Van Elsloo driving a black Nissan Frontier that he is associated with in the 220 block of Valley Highway.
Deputies stopped Sassen-Van Elsloo’s truck and took him into custody without incident, the release stated.
Sassen-Van Elsloo’s truck was searched, according to the release, and found were:
▪ A handgun that had been reported stolen in Bellingham.
▪ One-half pound of heroin.
▪ Two ounces of methamphetamine.
▪ A half-ounce of cocaine.
▪ $3,100 cash.
▪ Other materials generally associated with the sale of narcotics.
Sassen-Van Elsloo has nine previous felony convictions, including two for unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the release, making it illegal for him to possess firearms.
Sassen-Van Elsloo was convicted of eluding police for the fourth time and sentenced to two decades in prison in October 2014. but more than 10 years were cut from his sentence after the state Supreme Court ruled that a juror was dismissed in error in his trial.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 3:21 PM.
