PORT ANGELES — A Diamond Point man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for what Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart called a “savage beating” of a Clallam County woman.
Jurors after a three-day trial (Jan. 30-Feb. 1) found Anthony Lawrence Lee, 32, guilty of two counts of second-degree with firearm enhancements stemming from previous felony convictions, and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Barnhart ordered the 10-year (120-month) sentence on Tuesday, slightly less than the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s recommended 126-month sentence.
“(The sentence should) give Mr. Lee ample time to consider the rules of society and rules of the court,” Barnhart said at Tuesday’s sentencing.
“Frankly, I found the entire account (during trial) of that (October) night horrific.”
Lee was arrested following a standoff on Oct. 15, after he struck the victim in the head with a 9mm pistol inside his truck, and shot two rounds outside the truck into the air from the pistol, according to court documents.
At Lee’s home, a converted passenger bus, law enforcement shot one rubber bullet and gas into his home, leading to his arrest, said Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Munger.
The victim sustained a perforated eardrum and was diagnosed at Olympic Medical Center with facial fractures, broken teeth and bruises, according to court documents.
Law enforcement reported that Lee picked up the victim on Oct. 13, 2022, from Point Casino in Kingston, and she stayed with Lee and his wife. The next day, Lee and the victim went to 7 Cedars Casino, later left, and returned around 3 a.m. the next morning, before Lee left the victim behind, according to court documents.
He returned to pick her up and beat the victim with the pistol inside his truck at his residence, and then outside fired the gun, telling her to get off his property, said Steven Johnson, Clallam County deputy prosecuting attorney.
The victim was discovered by Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy James Dixon on U.S. Highway 101, according to court documents, and during an investigation, detective Brandon Stoppani later found two 9mm shell casings on Lee’s property.
“Lee took (the woman) to a secluded area where he severely beat her and then threatened her,” Johnson said in recommending a 126-month sentence.
The victim “had to escape in the dead of night and ended up by the side of Highway 101, luckily to be found by Deputy Dixon,” he said.
Johnson noted that the situation could have ended up even worse for her because Lee sent her out into the night in unfamiliar territory and with several head injuries.
Johnson said in an interview Lee and the victim were believed to be friends, and it’s unclear what prompted his anger towards the victim.
Lee’s attorney, Seth Doherty, requested a stay of his imprisonment during appeal, but Barnhart denied it at sentencing.
Johnson said Lee had multiple failures to appear in court in multiple counties dating back to 2016.
A family member was allowed to speak on behalf of the victim.
“She’s very traumatized by this whole thing,” the relative said. She described the victim as a “loving and caring person” and is a “beautiful person inside and out” but hasn’t been the same since the incident and can’t look family members in the eye. The relative asked for the maximum penalty for Lee.
During sentencing, Lee chose not to comment.
After his release from prison, he’s required to have 18 months of community custody, register as a felony firearm offender, not have any contact with the victim, and pay $40 a month starting 90 days after release towards $500 in court fees.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
