A deaf Mossyrock man held since Sept. 15 on suspicion of a burglary of a vacation property was sentenced Wednesday to a residential drug treatment program.
James W. McMillion, 37, pleaded guilty on Oct. 7 to one charge of residential burglary. In exchange for his plea, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to recommend him for the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative program, or DOSA, if he qualified.
“He clearly appears to be eligible for it and the state believes he will benefit from it,” said deputy prosecutor Will Halstead.
McMillion pleaded guilty to breaking into a trailer and stealing items in the 100 block of Jerrels Road in Mossyrock.
McMillion addressed Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt Wednesday with the help of an American Sign Language interpreter, and said methamphetamine was the root of his problems.
Hunt sentenced McMillion to three to six months in a residential treatment facility, with two years of community custody to follow that.
McMillion’s attorney, Brian Gerhart, did not mention previous problems with communication with his client during the sentencing hearing. At a previous review hearing and at his guilty plea hearing Oct. 7, Gerhart noted his client had trouble getting access to a TTY telephone while in the jail.
