Man sentenced to 18 years for 2013 kidnapping, assault
James Boyd, right, sits with attorney Michael Morgan during his trial for kidnapping and beating a Moses Lake man. Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz presided during the trial. Boyd was sentenced Tuesday to more than 18 years in prison.
EPHRATA - A Maryland man was sentenced Tuesday to more than 18 years in prison for his role in the kidnapping and assault of a Moses Lake man in January 2013.
James Boyd, 24, was convicted earlier this month of first-degree kidnapping, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, witness tampering and two counts of second-degree assault. The court imposed a sentence of more than seven years in prison on the five charges and an additional 11 years for weapon enhancements.
"Washington law does not allow for a reduction of prison time imposed for weapons enhancements and only a 10 percent reduction for time imposed for serious violent charges," Prosecutor Angus Lee said. "Boyd will serve at least 17 years as a result of this sentence."
Lee added his office had asked for the maximum sentence to be imposed in the case, which would have added an additional year in prison.
Boyd is still awaiting trial on charges of first-degree attempted murder and drive-by-shooting from a November 2012 shooting, according to court records.
Boyd was one of four people convicted in the 2013 incident. Andre Z. Balderas, 31, of Moses Lake, previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assault charges and was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison. Brett Meier, 20, was sentenced to more than a year in prison and his brother, Michael Meier, 18, was sentenced as a juvenile to nine months in jail. Michael Meier is still facing murder charges in the killing of Brandon Mende in February.
According to previous reports from the Columbia Basin Herald, the four men kidnapped a Moses Lake man and took him to a mobile home in Othello where they accused him of telling police about a previous burglary. The group beat and kicked the man several times before Boyd pulled out a shotgun and said he was going to kill the man for ratting him out. The man was then forced into a vehicle and taken to the Moses Lake sand dunes where he was again told he was going to be killed. The victim was able to escape and hid underneath the vehicle.