What: Public hearing on House Bill 1148 to give judges discretion in firearm enhancement sentencing.
When: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: John L. O’Brien Building at the Washington Capitol campus in Olympia.
Watch online: www.tvw.org
A state House bill would give judges more discretion in sentencing defendants convicted of felonies involving firearms. The bill’s introduction comes after a Snohomish man with no prior felony history was sentenced to some 45 years in prison in October for serving as an unarmed lookout during a home-invasion robbery in Ridgefield.
Jarrod A. Wiebe, 27, of Snohomish received a much more severe sentence than his three co-conspirators in the Dec. 19, 2013, robbery, even though he was the least culpable of the group, according to prosecutors.
State Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, has introduced legislation that would help curb disproportionate sentences for convictions with firearm enhancements, which means the crime involved a firearm. Currently, each firearm enhancement adds another mandatory five years to any base sentence, and each additional five years must be served consecutively with no credit for good behavior.
House Bill 1148 would give judges the discretion to impose shorter sentences in certain cases, including when the defendant is an accomplice or when the crime was attempted but not completed, said Goodman, who chairs the House Committee on Public Safety.