Wrongly released Tri-City man returned to prison

Floyd Young Jr., 36, walked out of prison work release a free man on Sept. 16.

The former Tri-City resident served more than eight years of an 11-year sentence at the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla and Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell. He’d pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and first-degree robbery following a 2005 home invasion in Kennewick.

His younger sister, Tasha Straws of Kennewick, prepared a feast to celebrate. His high school sweetheart, Krissie Andrews, in Moses Lake, was waiting too, with her young son.

Young’s relatives said he grew up after his conviction, paid his debt to society and was looking for a job.

With an eye to the future, he married Andrews on Halloween. The couple made a doctor’s appointment for Jan. 16 as a prelude to expanding their family.

But his release was apparently a mistake. His relatives say officials from the state Department of Corrections showed up at his Moses Lake home unexpectedly Monday and “scooped him up.”

Young was home with his son. His wife was at work.

His family says they were told he was taken to Coyote Ridge. Corrections officials couldn’t be reached Monday to talk about Young’s case.

Young apparently is one of about 3,200 prisoners in Washington who were released early, the result of the Department of Corrections miscalculating sentences.

The problem, dating to 2002, affected about 3 percent of the prison population and stirred headlines and recriminations against the department when the news broke Dec. 23.

Chrissie Andrews Young and her sister-in-law both read about the mistaken releases, but insist they had no reason to think Floyd Young was affected.

“They screwed up, so now everybody has to pay for their screw up,” Straws told the Herald.

Andrews Young said she’s considering hiring an attorney to sue for wrongful incarceration. She said neither she nor her husband had any idea his release date was amiss.

“They didn’t give us any contact. They just took him from the car and took him back to Connell. He wasn’t able to contact me or anybody,” she said. “He still hasn’t been able to.”

Young’s relatives aren’t excusing the crime that sent him to prison in the first place.

According to a 2007 Herald report, Young, then 30, pleaded guilty to robbing four men, shooting Jonathan Boleware in the foot when he didn’t comply with his demand for cash, wallets and jewelry quickly enough.

Young had previous felony convictions for gun possession and two separate drug crimes in Grant County.

His wife says he served his time without troubles.

“He got released in the community. He did what he was supposed to do. He behaved himself. He grew up. He got married. He wanted to be a man,” she said. “They’re breaking him.”

His sister, who said she was ecstatic to put prison visits behind her, agreed.

“There’s a lot of people out there that do stupid stuff. He made a wrong decision. He paid the time for it.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Wrongly released Tri-City man returned to prison."