PORT ANGELES — A Diamond Point man has been sentenced to eight months in jail after a jury found him guilty of two felony counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Judge Brent Basden sentenced Stephen Massey, 61, on Tuesday in Clallam County Superior Court.
The standard sentencing range was four months to 12 months in jail, even though Massey had prior out-of-state convictions for offenses involving possession of a firearm by a prohibited offender, the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office stated in a news release.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office located two firearms in Massey’s bedroom during the execution of a search warrant on Aug. 29. One was located next to Massey’s bed and the other was in a drawer, also next to his bed, near an expired driver’s license belonging to Massey, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
Massey is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
During the trial, the prosecuting attorney’s office argued that Massey had control over the firearms, had knowledge of their whereabouts and of his inability to possess firearms. Massey testified that he did not know about the firearms and was only there to take care of his mother with dementia, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
The jury found Massey guilty on both counts, and Basden sentenced him to eight months and required him to register as a felony firearm offender.
The firearms seized by law enforcement officers from Massey will be forfeited, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
“My team worked hard to obtain these convictions,” Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols stated in the news release. “There is a clear public interest in restricting the ability of felons to possess firearms. Research has repeatedly shown that individuals convicted of crimes, particularly those involving firearms, are many times more likely than law-abiding citizens to commit acts of violence.
“This case demonstrates that my office takes crimes involving firearms seriously and will aggressively prosecute them to promote public safety.”
