Restaurant gun incident nets 21 years

A judge sentenced a man to more than 21 years in federal prison this week after witnesses said he pointed a handgun at patrons of a North Division restaurant last spring.

Officials said Friday that Linzey Smith’s sentence was an example of the efforts behind Project Safe Neighborhoods, a partnership among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.

The program is credited for removing more than 250 of Eastern Washington’s most violent criminals from the streets in the past three years by more aggressively investigating and prosecuting gun crimes.

U.S. Attorney Jim McDevitt said people sentenced under the federal system serve the most time.

“It’s tough time,” he said following Friday’s announcement about the program’s success and continuing efforts. “It’s real time.”

Smith, an “armed career criminal,” had served 17 years in prison for previous felony convictions including assault with intent to kill, first-degree assault, robbery and burglary. A person is considered an armed career criminal if they’ve had three previous felony convictions.

McDevitt said that convicted felons have had their opportunity for reform and numerous chances to change their ways and that the federal prosecutors’ job is to get the violent criminals off the streets.

Through Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is paid for through a national initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice, officials are seeing strong conviction rates and longer sentences.

The conviction rate for arrests made through the program is 94.3 percent, McDevitt said. In 2003, 25 percent of those prosecuted received three- to five-year sentences; 50 percent got more than five years. In 2004, 27 percent of those prosecuted earned three- to five-year sentences; 44 percent got more than five years.

Billboards and bus signs throughout Spokane, Yakima and the Tri-Cities remind criminals and public that it’s illegal for a felon to have a gun.

Cyrus McLean, Washington Department of Corrections’ correctional manager, said law enforcement officials frequently encounter convicted felons with guns.

“We hope that this additional enforcement forces felons to think twice,” McLean said.