Man Gets 11-Year Term For Firearms Violations

Sat., Jan. 9, 1999

By Bill Morlin billm@spokesman.com

A Spokane man with nine previous felony convictions was sentenced Friday to more than 11 years in prison for federal firearms violations.

Police caught Wade L. Phillips with a loaded handgun, 65 rounds of ammunition and 19.7 grams of methamphetamine when they stopped his car on North Monroe.

Phillips, 30, was arrested on Dec. 9, 1997, and has been in state prison since that time.

He pleaded guilty late last year in U.S. District Court to federal charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and carrying a firearm during a drug crime.

Prosecutors agreed to seek dismissal of a fourth count - possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine - as part of the plea agreement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Skibbie also said the government agreed not to seek an “armed career criminal” classification for Phillips. That would have required him to serve a mandatory 15 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Robert Whaley told Phillips he was getting a break by avoiding the tougher classification.

“You have a lot of hard disappointment ahead of you,” the judge said of the lengthy prison sentence Phillips faces.

After he is released, Phillips must complete three years of parole supervision.

Phillips’ adult criminal record stretches back to when he was 19.

He was convicted of residential burglary in Ephrata, Wash., in 1987 and again in 1989. That year, he was also convicted of first- and second-degree possession of stolen property in Grant County. In 1991, he was convicted of forgery and second-degree robbery in Grant County.

His record also includes a 1994 conviction in Spokane County for possession of stolen property and a 1997 conviction for defrauding a public utility.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.