Wapato Homicide 20th this year in Yakima County

WAPATO, Wash. -- The Wapato man found shot to death at a dark intersection near his home Thursday morning once told a state trooper he sold hundreds of dollars of a meth every week, according to court documents filed in one of his criminal cases.

Lenard Cohenour's death pushed the number of homicides reported this year in Yakima County to 20, two more than last year's total.

Detectives said they were investigating the "quite likely" possibility that Cohenour's death was tied to drug-dealing activities.

He had served more than a year in jail and prison after pleading guilty to dealing or possession charges in 2007 and 2008, according to Yakima County Superior Court records.

Cohenour's relatives told investigators that they believed the 55-year-old man, known as "the Captain," had been continuing his drug trade, said Stew Graham, chief of detectives for the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

Graham said a passerby discovered Cohenour's body about 1:30 a.m. in a car stopped in the road near the intersection of Phillip John and Winaway roads, four miles southeast of Wapato.

He appeared to have suffered a single gunshot to the chest, Graham said. An autopsy is planned today. No arrests have been reported.

One of Cohenour's relatives declined to comment Thursday, saying she was still shocked over his death.

Cohenour's last major arrest was in July 2008.

A Washington State Patrol trooper stopped him for expired tabs near Winaway and North Track roads, not far from his home in the 900 block of Winaway.

After arresting him for driving on a suspended license, the trooper found several containers of methamphetamine in the vehicle, according to the arrest report.

The report states that Cohenour told the trooper he would buy an "eight ball" of meth -- so called because it weighs about an eighth of an ounce -- every two days for $400 to $500 and then sell most of it.

He was sentenced to 66 days for attempted possession of meth with intent to deliver.

Like several other homicides being investi-gated by the Sheriff's Office this year, Cohenour's shooting happened in the dark of night and well outside a populated area.

"Those always present unique challenges," Graham said.

Seven of this year's cases across the county have involved gangs.

All told, seven county homicide investigations have been handled by the Sheriff's Office this year. No arrests have been reported in four of those cases.