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By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 24-year-old who robbed a potential drug customer of $1,000 in Centralia last month – and kept the bag of salt he pretended was ecstasy – was sentenced today to just shy of 10 years in prison.
McRae D. Armstrong was in Lewis County Superior Court, where he pleaded guilty as charged a week after his arrest.
The incident at the end of June took place inside a car in the parking lot at Safeway on Harrison Avenue.
The Centralia Police Department had provided the money, as the buyer was a confidential informant and officers were conducting surveillance during the transaction. A short police pursuit ensued but Armstrong wasn’t located that day.
He admitted he used a firearm, and told the buyer-turned victim to get out of the car.
Armstrong pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, attempted eluding, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to deliver an imitation controlled substance.
His lawyer Don Blair asked the judge for a mid-range sentence, noting his client accepted the deal basically within a day of getting the offer from the state.
“And the fact that he is here taking responsibility, literally within a week of court,” Blair said.
Pacific County Prosecutor Mark McClain recommended Armstrong be given 116 months on the first count – the top of the standard sentencing range – and lesser amounts for the other offenses to be served concurrently.
McClain was asked to handle the case, because of a potential appearance of a conflict. Armstrong’s father is a private investigator who often works on cases in Lewis County.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler gave Armstrong nine years and eight months.
The sentence also includes three years under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections when he is released and a requirement the defendant be evaluated for drug and alcohol abuse and follow through with the recommended treatment.
An 18-year-old Olympia woman has been charged in the case, as she was allegedly with Armstrong when it happened. A second male has been charged with rendering criminal assistance for allegedly helping Armstrong hide from police, according to McClain.
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For background, read “Teen driver for ecstasy drug deal-turned robbery booked” from Saturday June 27, 2015, here [2]