Fugitive’s wig, dyed hair don’t deter cops
A fugitive wanted on heroin charges was arrested this week after a U.S. Marshal spotted him at a home in Spokane disguised in a blond wig.
Frisco San Juan Ayala, 32, was wearing the wig when federal agents observed him placing backpacks inside two vehicles between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday, according to court documents filed today.
About 9:45 a.m., Ayala got into a gray Dodge truck but crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of East Empire Avenue and North Napa Street, then fled on foot, leaving behind a black pistol, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
He was arrested near Napa and East Gordon Avenue with more than 10 grams of methamphetamine, as well as heroin and "numerous suspected precious gems," documents say.
Ayala was not wearing the wig at the time, but his hair was dyed and investigators found the wig in the cab of the truck, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Bob Doty.
Ayala is described by federal agents as a "mid- to upper-level drug trafficker in the Spokane area," according to court documents.
Agents searched the home in the 2100 block of E. Heroy Ave., where Ayala had been spotted that morning, and seized a meth pipe, ammunition and hair dye from the home. The homeowner has a felony crack cocaine distribution conviction from the late 1990s.
Ayala had been wanted since April 18 for a federal case involving the alleged distribution of at least 100 grams of heroin.
Gary Erwin Douglass, 57; Charles R. Wallace, 41; Samuel William Wright, 36; Brian L. Sellers, 35; and James Clayton Lindsay, 57, also are charged.
Charges against Julie A. Rice-Lewis, 38, and Chad Jason Benefield have been dismissed.