SEQUIM — A Sequim man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison after pleading guilty in a mail theft case.
Scott J. Haynes, 40, entered a guilty plea Tuesday to the crimes of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, identify theft in the second degree and possession of stolen mail, said Jesse Espinoza, Clallam County deputy prosecuting attorney.
He was sentenced to 27.75 months in prison.
Haynes was arrested Aug. 21 after deputies investigated a complaint of a vehicle driving from mailbox to mailbox in the 1500 block of Hooker Road.
Deputies traced the vehicle to an address in the 100 block of Frost Road, about a mile away.
Haynes was found beneath a nearby trailer.
A subsequent search of a house on the property turned up five shopping bags of mail containing 600 separate letters stolen from 200 different addresses in Clallam County, deputies said.
During a search under an additional warrant of Haynes’ home in the 300 block of South Solmar Drive in Sequim, deputies said they found more stolen mail, drug paraphernalia, a .22-caliber rifle and a homemade silencer made from a used oil filter.
Haynes also was charged with the unlawful use of a credit card that had been reported stolen two months earlier.
Haynes is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions, a large majority of which are for forgery, Espinoza said.
The stolen mail was turned over to U.S. Postal Inspector Anna Weller of the post office’s Seattle division to deliver to its intended recipients.
Upon completion of his prison sentence, Haynes will undergo 27.75 months of community custody supervised by the state Department of Corrections.
He also will be required to undergo substance abuse treatment at that time.
The community custody sentence may be revoked and Haynes forced to serve out the rest of the sentence in prison if he violates his conditions.
He also is required to register as a felony firearm offender and will be responsible for paying an unspecified amount of restitution.
________
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
