Snohomish County Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Crimes Defendant Arrested with Meth and Loaded Gun with Hollow-Point Bullets

JIMMY DALE BURLESON, 23, of Snohomish County, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison and three years of supervised release for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute and Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of Drug Trafficking. BURLESON was arrested on June 17, 2008, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. BURLESON had been banned from the reservation because of his criminal activity. A Tulalip Tribal Police Officer found BURLESON sleeping in his car with a significant quantity of methamphetamine and a Glock semi-automatic pistol loaded with hollow-point bullets. Looking at BURLESON’s lengthy criminal history, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said it was a “stark reminder that we are dealing with someone with a propensity for violent offenses.”

According to records filed in the case, the Tulalip Police Officer spotted BURLESON’s car on the side of the road. BURLESON was arrested for trespassing since he had been excluded from the reservation. BURLESON had a digital scale and more than $1,300 cash. In the car officers found 57 grams of methamphetamine, and under the driver’s seat the .40 caliber semi-automatic Glock with one round chambered and ready to fire a hollow-point bullet. BURLESON pleaded guilty January 12, 2009.

At the sentencing hearing, Assistant United States Attorney William H. Redkey Jr. noted that BURLESON had been a “one man crime wave on the reservation.” Mr. Redkey noted that it was fortunate that BURLESON was apprehended while he slept, since he was armed with deadly ammunition to protect his drugs. BURLESON was “a tragedy waiting to happen,” Mr. Redkey said.

Judge Robart agreed that a lengthy sentence was necessary to protect the community. He also recommended that BURLESON get drug treatment and vocational training while incarcerated.
The case was investigated by the Tulalip Tribal Police Department and the FBI.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William H. Redkey Jr. and Michael Scoville.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.