Spokane man sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for robbery spree in April

A 37-year-old man will spend more than 17 years in prison for a series of armed robberies in April, a Spokane County judge ruled Friday.

Tysen R. Foster pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery, four counts of second-degree assault and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm on Friday.

Foster committed a series of armed robberies over the course of 10 days in mid-April.

After his arrest for the robberies, Foster confessed to his involvement in a March drive-by shooting on 29th Avenue, according to court documents. The unlawful possession of a firearm charge stemmed from that shooting.

Foster said he went on the spree after trouble with his father. Following his release from prison in Nevada, Foster moved back to Spokane and got a job with a local carpenters union with the help of his father, he told the court.

Then Foster was charged with driving under the influence in Idaho. He assumed he would have to return to prison in Nevada, so he transferred his savings into his father’s bank account.

When Foster’s parole officer told him as long as he complied with court’s penalties for the DUI he could remain in Washington state, Foster asked for the money back. He said he then found out his father had stolen the money.

The two got into a fight that ended with Foster’s father shooting him, he told the court.

Following the shooting, Foster lost his job and his motivation to move forward.

“I just was overwhelmed and, all in all, made some bad decisions,” Foster said. “It’s no excuse. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

It’s unclear if Foster’s dad was charged with a crime related to the shooting that Foster alleged in court on Friday.

Foster’s public defender, Richard Mathison, reiterated Foster’s story, noting it was “in that mindset” that his client went on the robbery spree.

In exchange for Foster’s guilty plea, prosecutors recommended a sentence of 210 months. That’s in the middle of a range of potential prison terms he faced. The term includes a 60-month firearm enhancement because Foster committed the robbery armed with a gun.

Armed robbery is a most serious, or strike, offense in Washington. Once someone has three strike convictions, they are automatically sentenced to life in prison, according to state law.

This was Foster’s first strike offense.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Harold Clarke III sentenced Foster to 210 months along with 18 months of probation.

“I apologize to the community,” Foster said. “I messed up.”