PORT TOWNSEND — A Jefferson County man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison following his guilty plea to charges that included residential burglary.
Joel Robert Chaudoin, 43, was given a prison-based Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) on Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court.
Judge Keith Harper accepted the state’s recommendation of 50 months with 25 months of community custody following confinement. Chaudoin also was ordered to pay $615 in legal financial obligations.
Chaudoin pleaded guilty Nov. 1 to possession of heroin and violating a no-contact order in addition to residential burglary, a Class B felony. Possession of a controlled substance is a Class C felony and the no-contact order violation is a gross misdemeanor.
He was facing a standard range of 43 to 57 months, deputy Prosecuting Attorney Julie St. Marie said.
Defense attorney Sam Feinson put forward the prison-based alternative, saying Chaudoin has spent a good portion of his adult life in custody.
“He really hasn’t had a meaningful chance that other people have under a prison DOSA,” Feinson said. “He’s certainly taken responsibility for what he’s done.”
The alternative set Chaudoin’s sentence at the midpoint of the standard range and will include drug treatment while he’s in prison.
Chaudoin pleaded guilty in exchange for the dismissal of a separate case.
He was arrested in August near the Thomas Street apartments in Port Townsend on a warrant for first-degree burglary. The bench warrant had been issued two days earlier when Chaudoin failed to appear in Jefferson County Superior Court.
Police learned of Chaudoin’s location and coordinated with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on apprehension, Port Townsend Police Sgt. Jason Greenspane said.
Law enforcement officers took Chaudoin into custody after a short foot pursuit. Greenspane said Chaudoin was found to be in possession of a stolen vehicle and multiple controlled substances, including heroin and methamphetamine.
Chaudoin previously had been charged with possession of burglary tools, and he was found to be carrying a weapon capable of bodily harm, according to the August police report.
Additional charges at the time included bail jumping and obstructing a law enforcement officer, according to court records.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
