Skagit County Felon Sentenced to Long Prison Term for Possessing Guns and Body Armor
Man Has Previous Convictions for Assault and Drive-By Shooting
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 20, 2013 |
A felon who most recently lived in the town of Concrete in Skagit County, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally possessing guns and body armor, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. Larry L. Pressley, 45, has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for conduct including raping an 11-year-old girl and a drive-by shooting where he fired into a home full of children. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said, “We have seen the havoc that is wreaked by people who should not have firearms.”
According to the plea agreement filed in the case, Pressley was arrested on an unrelated charge on January 12, 2012. On January 20, 2012, law enforcement searched the home where Pressley and his wife, also a felon, lived in Concrete, Washington. Inside the home officers found a bullet proof vest (body armor) and two firearms. One of the firearms had been reported stolen in Whatcom County, Washington. On May 14, 2013, Pressley pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm and being a felon in possession of body armor. Pressley has prior felony convictions for attempted assault (1991), drive-by shooting and illegal possession of a firearm (1999), and assault (2012).
“Larry Pressley has been terrorizing Skagit County for a quarter of a century,” said U.S. Attorney Durkan. “In 1987, he was involved in a brutal beating and robbery. Since then, he has racked up six more convictions for crimes involving violence, guns, or both. It is always troubling when a felon possesses a gun. When a man like Pressley has a gun—a man who actually fired into a home full of children—it is extremely alarming.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Department of Corrections, and Sedro Woolley Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Dion and Jill Otake.
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.