Raymond resident sentenced for meth, stolen property

Raymond resident Jeremy S. Graham, 35, entered a guilty plea to second degree escape, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of stolen property. The action took place in Pacific County Superior Court Friday afternoon.

"Mr. Graham had been ordered to serve a term of community custody, more commonly thought of as probation, and he failed to report to his probation officer as directed, and later, when his DOC probation officers discovered him with a methamphetamine pipe, I decided this case warranted a more significant charge and charged him with second degree escape as well as the possession of methamphetamine," said Pacific County Prosecutor Mark McClain.

The Prosecutor's Office could have opted to allow the Department of Corrections to administratively sanction Graham, which would have resulted in a maximum of 60 days in jail once apprehended, but according to McClain, he felt the greater sentence was warranted for someone who violate the provisions of their community custody by committing new crimes.

"It's one thing if he stumbled through drug treatment, but that did not feel like the case here, and I believed the 17-month prison sentence was warranted rather than the minor sanction, which could have been imposed through the DOC process," McClain said.

"I was pleased that Mr. Graham accepted responsibility for his conduct and that was why I agreed to 17 months rather than the maximum for this offense, which would have been 22 months," McClain added.

Graham was also ordered to complete 12 additional months of community custody along with a drug treatment program.