One year in prison for selling cocaine
A San Juan Island man who sold three small packets of cocaine on three separate occasions to a Sheriff’s Department informant — all within 24 hours — was sentenced to 366 days in prison for three drug-related felonies.
On April 2, Manuel Guerrero-Hernandez, 24, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to three counts of delivery of a controlled substance, a Class B felony. In addition to prison time, he was ordered to pay $2,060 in fines and fees. He was credited with the time served in jail since his arrest on Dec. 24.
According to court documents, Guerrero-Hernandez was suspected of dealing drugs at the time local detectives recruited the help of a confidential informant in making a series undercover purchases in mid-June. After fronting the informant a packet containing $100 of cocaine on June 13, which the informant paid for the following day, he then sold the informant two more similar-sized packets on separate occasions the following day.
Guerrero-Hernandez, who, according to court records, had no prior criminal history, was arrested for allegedly selling drugs on Dec. 24 and then charged in Superior Court with three counts of delivery of cocaine the following day.
Delivery of a controlled substance carries maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $25,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is 12-20 months in prison.
First-time offender gets 60 days for burglary
A San Juan Island man who broke into a former employer’s home and stole nearly all the man’s home electronics, as well as a shotgun, was sentenced to 60 days in jail for felony burglary.
On May 14, James Allen Batchelder, 35, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of residential burglary, a Class B felony. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to pay $1,350 in fines and fees. A charge of theft of a firearm was dismissed in exchange for the guilty plea.
With no prior felony convictions, Batchelder qualified for sentencing as a first-time offender and will be allowed to serve 31 days on work crew in lieu of jail. He was also credited with having served 29 days of the jail term in exchange for completing a substance-abuse treatment program at an in-patient facility, in which he enrolled shortly after his arrest.
Earlier this year, Batchelder was arrested in connection with a burglary and theft at a Beaverton Valley Road home in late January. Someone reportedly removed pins from hinges of a door to get inside and then carried off nearly all the home-electronics inside, including a large flat-screen TV, as well as the homeowner’s prized shotgun.
The shotgun, valued at $14,000, was later recovered, reportedly with Batchelder’s help.
Restitution has yet to be determined.
Residential burglary carries maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is 3-9 months in jail.
Woman gets 15 days in jail for identity theft
A Renton woman who bought ferry tickets, jewelry and movie tickets using credit card information swiped from several of her employer’s customers, including a San Juan Island man, was sentenced to 15 days in jail for felony identity theft.
On April 2, Karla Arrayles Garces, 31, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of second-degree identity theft, a Class C felony. She was sentenced to 15 days in jail and ordered to pay $1,450 in fines and fees, and $83 in restitution.
According to court documents, in early September Garces parlayed her position with a Seattle-based boating supply company into a free ride at someone else’s expense by lifting names and numbers off nearly a half-dozen credit card transactions the company conducted in the preceding months.
Offering items such as antennas, navigational aides and radios, the company reportedly does a brisk business via its Web site and sells equipment to customers across the nation and around the globe.
In addition to a Friday Harbor man, Garces’ victims include customers in Maine, New Jersey and Texas.
An investigation was launched after several people called the state ferry system to contest ticket purchases that appeared on their credit card statements late last year. An investigator with the Washington State Patrol then matched the use of the tickets purchased on those credit card accounts to vehicles owned by Garces and members of her family by reviewing footage taken by surveillance cameras at Seattle’s Coleman Dock and the Bainbridge Island ferry landing. All of the victims purchased equipment from the Seattle company where Garces had been employed.
According to court documents, Garces, when confronted by authorities, admitted to stealing the credit card information and was charged in San Juan County Superior Jan. 13 with a single count of felony identity theft.
A Class C felony, second-degree identity theft carries maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is 0-90 days in jail.
Under the sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Don Eaton, Garces will be allowed to perform 80 hours of community restitution in lieu of 10 days in jail, though the work must be completed by July 5.
