TACOMA — Federal prosecutors have charged six Forks men with a series of crimes related to a burglary at a hardware store in which 16 handguns were stolen.
Four of the six defendants had been charged in Clallam County Superior Court with crimes related to the June 14 break-in at Forks True Value Hardware and Lumber, but those charges were dropped when federal prosecutors took over the case, Forks Police Chief Mike Powell said.
On Wednesday, Walter Boyd McIlwain, 24; Alejandro Barragan, 26; Richard Dennis Miller, 20; Charles Clay Winans, 42; Brandon Lee Penn, 19; and Jose E. Mendoza, 21, were charged by U.S. District Court Judge Karen Strombom.
The store’s owner estimated the value of the guns at about $3,000.
Conspiracy charged
Court documents say the six men conspired to break into the hardware store, had possessed a number of the guns and scratched off the weapons’ serial numbers.
They planned to trade or sell the handguns for drugs and money, according to court documents.
Only three of the weapons have been recovered so far, Powell said. He expects that as many as five or six more may be recovered this week, but has said he doesn’t expect all 16 will be found.
Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were summoned to assist the investigation early on.
More severe punishment
The case was referred to federal prosecutors because the punishments available under federal law are more severe than state law, Powell said.
“We felt we’d probably do better conviction and time wise in federal court than state court,” he said.
Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle, said the six men will have a hearing Tuesday to determine bail and review the likelihood of them showing up for future court dates and how much of a threat they pose to the community.