PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Townsend man who pleaded guilty to burglarizing two shops, drug possession and abandonment of explosives was sentenced to a drug treatment program.
Graham Thomas Welch, 25, is now serving a three- to six-month sentence at American Behavioral Health Systems’ chemical dependency program in Chehalis.
That will be followed by two years of community custody while he lives at home with his mother.
He also is restricted from visiting the stores he burglarized or contacting their owners for three years.
Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper handed down the sentence March 20 in light of a chemical dependency examination performed earlier this month that said his drug dependency led to the burglaries.
Welch had pleaded guilty March 6 to two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of abandonment of explosives.
Welch took more than 20,000 pills from Don’s Pharmacy at 1151 Water St. on Dec. 13 and stole knives and nitrous oxide chargers among other items from the Green Eyeshade at 720 Water St. on Dec. 16.
After he is released, Welch must provide restitution, estimated at $7,000, to the Green Eyeshade and $23,000 to Don’s Pharmacy, along with $2,375 in legal fees.
“When he is released from treatment, he will need to start making those payments,” said Prosecuting Attorney Mike Haas.
Welch is the son of Mark Welch, former Port Townsend mayor, and a 2007 graduate of Port Townsend High School. He had had no prior criminal record.
Among the 15 letters of support of Welch that were entered into court record was a letter signed by Welch’s father and other members of his family that argued for drug court.
“Given his psychological problems, continued incarceration runs a clear risk of making him worse off and harder to treat after release,” the letter said.
“[Drug court] transforms [offenders] from a burden to the community to an asset to the community [and] is how a more enlightened society cares for its sick and saves money in the process.”
Haas said he “might have allowed it if the second burglary didn’t include drugs.
“But dismissing those charges would have been a danger to the community due to the theft of the drugs.”
Haas agreed that prison would not be beneficial for Welch.
The maximum sentence would have been about two years due to sentencing guidelines and the fact Welch was a first offender, Haas said.
“He would have gotten out in about 18 months and with no treatment and no addressing of his issues,” Haas said.
“If he had gotten out of prison, it would have made it more difficult for him to get a decent job and make restitution.”
Welch was arrested Dec. 16 after the Green Eyeshade burglary in which about $100 in cash and some kitchen items were stolen.
He spent that night in jail before his Wednesday arraignment.
Police said he was found with several items, including a whipped cream dispenser and several CO2 canisters containing nitrous oxide, that they believe came from the Green Eyeshade store.
After Welch denied police permission to search his car, a 1996 Chevrolet that had been towed to the Sheriff’s Office in Port Hadlock, Port Townsend Police Officer Luke Bogues obtained a warrant and searched the car Dec. 17.
Bogues said he found a vial of liquid ketorolac tromethamine, an anti-inflammatory, and prescription drug paperwork.
He also found what appeared to be a pipe bomb, according to a police probable-cause statement.
Police determined that the metal cylinder could be explosive.
They cleared the area and summoned the State Patrol Bomb Squad, which arrived later in the afternoon and used a high-pressure blast of water on the cylinder.
The squad found the explosives and potential shrapnel when they examined the cylinder.
The ketorolac tromethamine had the same serial number as that taken from Don’s Pharmacy, the police report said.
Welch was arrested again and held in the Jefferson County jail on $50,000 bond.
He spent 92 days in custody before moving to the treatment facility Saturday.
According to the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, a weekly covering Port Townsend and Jefferson County, at the March 20 sentencing, Welch apologized to the owners of the two shops he had burglarized.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
