MOSES LAKE, Wash. — Four convictions will put a Grant County man behind bars for 17 years for several charges related to the trafficking of drugs and guns, including one that was used in the shooting death of an Othello child.
As announced by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Washington, 34-year-old Guillermo Valdez was sentenced to 204 months (17 years) in federal prison for two charges each of Possession with Intent to Distribute Meth (500+ grams) and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Court documents proclaim that Valdez was involved in the burglary of 11 firearms in Spokane County on February 24, 2021. Three days later, one of those firearms was used in the homicide of a child — although the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not show any evidence that Valdez was directly involved in that crime.
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Roughly a month and a half later, WSP Troopers attempted to make a traffic stop when they saw Valdez speeding near 100 miles per hour. During the pursuit, he was seen tossing a plastic bag out the window of his vehicle. They later discovered that it contained a pistol and 822 grams of meth.
On July 7, 2021, law enforcement gathered enough information to arrest him at his Moses Lake home, where they recovered 604 grams of meth including some stashed inside his child’s bedroom.
“Mr. Valdez’s distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms directly led to the homicide of a child and placed another child in danger,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref stated. “I’m grateful for the joint efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, who helped bring Mr. Valdez to justice and who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and our neighborhoods strong.”
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