Man who stole dozens of guns from stores in Washington pleads guilty

SEATTLE — A man who stole 39 guns and ammunition in Clallam and Skagit counties last spring pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to two counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee.

Joey A. Maillet faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 8, 2020.

Last May, Maillet was identified as the suspect in the burglary of Fred’s Guns in Sequim and the burglary of All American Armory in Bow. Forensic evidence and surveillance video linked Maillet to the burglaries.

Maillet used a backhoe to ram the doors of Fred’s Guns and then broke a glass display case to steal 26 firearms. However, he cut his arm on the glass case and left blood and fingerprints at the scene.

In Bow, Maillet was seen on surveillance video using a stolen truck to back into the doors of the store. Officials said the truck was stolen from nearby the gun store. He then used a stolen garbage can to steal 13 rifles and drove away in the stolen truck.

The truck was eventually found abandoned in Birch Bay State Park, located in Whatcom County. In the truck bed, investigators found shattered glass, a stolen boat motor and a batter.

Maillet was arrested on May 10, 2019, for an outstanding warrant for a burglary in Everett.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and said items found in Maillet’s backpack linked him to the burglary in Bow. Officials say four of the 39 stolen firearms have been recovered – all in British Columbia.

As part of his guilty plea, Maillet must pay restitution to both stores for the damages to the buildings and for the value of the stolen guns.

Maillet will also pay for the damages to the business where he stole the truck and backhoe he later used in the burglaries. He will also pay restitution to the owner of the stolen boat motor and battery.

Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of no more that six years in prison.

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