A Pasco man will do 14 years and three months in prison for the 2008 robbery of a Safeway gas station clerk.
Justin Hoyt, 34, pleaded guilty this week in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon and first-degree burglary.
He had been scheduled to face a jury -- his second trial in the case -- when he changed his plea.
The case had been overturned by the Washington state Court of Appeals because Hoyt's rights were violated during the investigation.
After his arrest in April 2008, Hoyt broke down crying and said he was "going to do life," then told a Kennewick police detective that he wouldn't talk anymore without an attorney present. But the detective continued to question the suspect, with Hoyt allegedly trying to bargain by saying he would give information about methamphetamine labs in Oregon if the new charges would disappear.
The Court of Appeals ruled that any statements Hoyt made after invoking his right to counsel were involuntary and inadmissible at trial.
The three-judge panel said it was wrong for the detective to testify before jurors in Hoyt's first trial about the interview and for the deputy prosecutor to exploit Hoyt's decision to exercise his right to silence by mentioning it in closing arguments.
Hoyt's robbery and burglary convictions were invalidated as a result, but a conviction for second-degree theft was left intact.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Hoyt was armed with a knife early April 21, 2008, when he forced his way into Safeway's gas station kiosk on Kennewick Avenue. He ordered the clerk to give him the money in the cash register, then left with a friend who was waiting in a nearby car.
The station clerk reportedly first noticed Hoyt watching him as the employee left the main store and headed toward the kiosk.
The next day, Hoyt took MP3 players and other electronic items from the Kennewick Target store, documents said. He was caught with the stolen goods hidden under his clothes.
In addition to the 14-year Washington sentence, Hoyt must serve five years, 10 months in Oregon for Umatilla County convictions for first- and second-degree robbery. Those crimes at a Safeway gas station in Pendleton and a Walmart Supercenter in Hermiston occurred just days before the Kennewick crimes.
A Benton Court judge ordered that the Washington sentence be served consecutive to the Oregon time.
Hoyt has at least 14 prior felony convictions, including possession of drugs, kidnapping, escape, criminal conspiracy, burglary and theft.
Similar stories:
Kennewick man picks up strike 2
Kennewick man picks up strike 2
A Franklin County judge warned a 54-year-old Kennewick man to stay out of trouble after he completes his prison sentence on a robbery conviction.
Moses Cornelious Sanders picked up his second "strike" offense Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court after entering an Alford plea of guilty to first-degree robbery.
"You need to be very careful," Judge Craig Matheson told him. "The sentence on a third strike would be life without parole."
Court roundup: 3 men plead innocent in Kennewick shooting
Court roundup: 3 men plead innocent in Kennewick shooting
Three Pasco men face trial Dec. 5 for allegedly firing at a car full of people last weekend in Kennewick.
Martin Perez Garcia, 20, Juan Daniel Salas, 23, and Gorge Luis Acevedo, 21, all pleaded innocent Thursday in Benton County Superior Court.
Prosecutors allege they were following an Acura Integra on Kennewick Avenue at 1:45 a.m. Oct. 8 when Salas fired multiple shots at the car from a .22-caliber revolver wrapped in a bandanna. The gun was later dismantled and tossed into a Dumpster.
Pasco man accused of assault to be examined by state psychologists
Pasco man accused of assault to be examined by state psychologists
A 19-year-old Pasco man shot by a police officer last month will be evaluated by state psychologists.
Ezequiel Chavez faced a Jan. 25 trial in Franklin County Superior Court for one count of first-degree assault with a gun.
He is accused of firing at Officer Chad Pettijohn, who then returned fire and hit Chavez in the left thigh and on his right side above his hip.
Trial in Pasco shooting death delayed
Trial in Pasco shooting death delayed
The trial for a 28-year-old man charged in the 2008 shooting death of a Pasco father has been delayed five weeks.
Jose Garcia-Morales now is set to face a Franklin County Superior Court jury March 14.
He is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for fatally shooting Alfredo Garcia and critically injuring his wife Maria Ramirez de Garcia in their east Pasco home.
CONVICTED: Craigslist killer found guilty on all counts
CONVICTED: Craigslist killer found guilty on all counts
A Tacoma jury has convicted Clabon Berniard this morning on all counts in the last trial connected to a home-invasion robbery that killed an Edgewood father.
He was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of first-degree burglary. The Superior Court jury deliberations began Wednesday afternoon.
Berniard, 24, is the last of four defendants accused in a botched robbery that led to the killing of Edgewood resident Jim Sanders on April 28, 2010. The robbers went to the home after Sanders advertised a diamond ring for sale on Craigslist.
Print
Email Story
