A Renton man was sentenced Monday to more than 13 years in prison for a March robbery at the Gee Creek Rest Area, which he carried out in the presence of his children.
Courtney B. Prosser, 33, was found guilty last month by a Clark County Superior Court jury of first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of methamphetamine.
Judge Gregory Gonzales imposed a sentence of 158 months to be followed by 2 1/2 years of supervised release.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Smith argued for a prison term of more than 16 years, citing Prosser’s history of violent crimes. This conviction counts as Prosser’s second strike under the state’s so-called three-strikes law, in which offenders convicted three times of certain violent and sexual felonies receive mandatory life sentences without the possibility of release.
On Monday, both parties noted that there was surprising testimony at trial.
Law enforcement was dispatched to a report of an armed robbery at the Interstate 5 rest area March 18. The victim, Anthony D. Cavallo, said he was approached by a man driving a silver Mercedes sedan. He said the man threatened him with a knife before brandishing a black pistol, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The man took Cavallo’s cellphone and threatened to take his car. However, he fled in the Mercedes, heading north onto Northeast 65th Avenue. Cavallo followed the robber. He relayed to 911 dispatchers that the man threw a black object out of the passenger’s side window of the vehicle, the affidavit says.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies detained Prosser and two boys, ages 6 and 12, near La Center. The younger boy was in possession of a meth pipe and a knife, according to the affidavit.
Deputies also determined the Mercedes had been reported stolen from Auburn. They found Cavallo’s phone on Prosser, and Cavallo ID’d the suspect on the spot, deputies said.
During the trial, Cavallo testified that Prosser was not the man who robbed him. He was also unsure about whether the assailant used a firearm, according to both the defense and prosecution.
“The testimony was surprising to both parties,” Smith told the judge. “But it remains that he was found guilty of the charges under the law.”
The victim did not attend the sentencing hearing.
When judge Gonzales asked Prosser if he had anything to add, Prosser replied, “Nothin’.”
Despite the terse response, Gonzales followed up with several more questions. He asked Prosser how he’d fared during a previous years-long imprisonment and whether he’d taken advantage of programs and planned to do so again.
“I’d be a fool not to,” Prosser said.
