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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spray-painting gang member gets five years in federal prison for gun possession

A group of Spokane gang members flash hand symbols in 2007 in the STA plaza in downtown Spokane. (Jed Conklin / The Spokesman-Review)

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced an admitted gang member from Spokane to five years in prison after he was caught with a gun.

U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Petersen sentenced Cody P. Kiehn, 35, of Spokane, to five years in prison.

The case began when a Spokane Police officer pulled Kiehn over for negligent driving and failure to yield, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. During the traffic stop, the officer noticed a .45-caliber bullet near Kiehn’s foot.

Kiehn admitted having a gun “for protection from rival gang members because he had spray-painted over a rival gang’s markings,” the news release stated.