Moses Lake woman faces 18-25 years for burglary
Cecily McFarland, of Moses Lake, faces between 18 and 25 years in prison after a jury convicted her of stealing guns, alcohol and other items from a man's garage.
EPHRATA - A Moses Lake woman's decision to reject a plea deal offered by prosecutors may result in many more years in prison after she was convicted last week of stealing guns and alcohol from a man's garage.
A jury convicted Cecily McFarland, 25, of 14 counts of burglary and theft last week following a June burglary from a Cascade Valley home, according to court documents. She faces between 18 and 25 years in prison, according to prosecutors and will be sentenced Oct. 27.
McFarland's accomplice, Chad Faircloth, pled guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and three and a half years of probation last week, according to court documents.
McFarland rejected that plea deal and instead proceeded to a jury trial, said her attorney Michael Morgan. She now faces between 18 and 25 years, according to state law's sentencing guidelines.
McFarland and Faircloth broke into a garage of a home in June and stole at least 10 guns from an unlocked gun safe, several bottles of liquor and other items, according to the police report. The house belonged to the parent's of McFarland's previous boyfriend and she told Faircloth she was retrieving her property, according to court documents.
Police were told the couple was hiding the guns in a home they shared. When police went to that house, the homeowner allowed them to look in the bedroom where the couple was staying, where police found the stolen guns, according to court documents.
Faircloth told police he helped McFarland steal the guns, according to court documents.
"Firearm theft is what puts guns in the hands of criminals who commit violent crime. By catching, convicting and incarcerating gun thieves we can reduce future violent gun crimes by keeping the guns out of the hands of criminals. I would encourage gun owners like myself to protect your firearms from would be thieves," Grant County Prosecutor Angus Lee said.
Deputy prosecutor Ryan Valaas handled the case
McFarland was convicted in 2007 of possession of stolen property, forgery and bail jumping.
Faircloth was previously convicted of possession of stolen property, according to court documents.