Man sentenced for using stolen cash, cards

EPHRATA - A man caught using stolen checks and stolen credit cards in two separate cases within a month was sentenced.

Brian A. Gibbons, 22, of Moses Lake, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to second degree possession of stolen property in two cases, according to court records.

Gibbons' felony convictions start in 2004, according to court records. He has prior convictions for second degree burglary, second degree theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, attempted motor vehicle theft, forgery, second degree possession of stolen property and second degree escape. When combined with his present convictions, he faced a sentencing range of a year and two months in prison to a year and six months in prison.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz followed the prosecutor's recommendation, sentencing Gibbons to a year and two months in prison.

"In consideration of the fact that if convicted at trial the defendant would have likely been sentenced to 16 months, an agreement to recommend 14 months in exchange for his guilty plea to two separate felonies was in the best interest of the people of Grant County and an effective use of prosecutorial resources," Prosecutor Angus Lee stated.

The first case followed a vehicle prowl in late January, when someone stole two credit cards and a set of work keys from a vehicle parked at a Jean Road Northeast residence, according a Moses Lake police report.

Gibbons used the cards at Walmart, a gas station and Radio Shack, according to the police report. Police discovered one of the cards in a room where Gibbons lived.

The second case took place less than a month later following a burglary of a Moses Lake home, according to court records. Several firearms and a book of checks were stolen.

Gibbons used three of the checks, according to court records.