Sekiu Resident Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Crimes

A resident of Sekiu, Washington, who had been banned from Makah Tribal lands, was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison for Possession of Oxycodone with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  JAMES G. RODE, 47, was arrested March 2, 2012 following a court authorized search of his residence.  Law enforcement found forty 15mg oxycodone pills hidden in a heating vent in the bathroom.  Nearby, they found three firearms.  RODE pleaded guilty in November 2012, admitting that the firearms were used to further his drug trafficking activity.  On Friday May 10, 2013, U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton ordered RODE to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to records in the case, members of the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team were investigating RODE’s drug dealing.  In February 2012 someone working with law enforcement bought oxycodone from RODE on multiple occasions.  RODE had previously been banned from Makah Tribal lands because of criminal activity including burglary and sexual assault.  RODE is a registered sex offender.

In asking for the 12 year sentence prosecutors noted the damage RODE did to the community.  RODE “caused substantial harm to those living on the Makah Indian reservation where he distributed large quantities of Oxycodone pills.  He also has a rather violent and prolific criminal history, which includes home invasion burglaries, as well as a prior conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

The case was investigated by Neah Bay Tribal Police, Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, and agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Tate London.