Guilty Plea from Nevada Man Arrested in Seattle with Stolen Truck, Weapons and Homemade Explosives

A 22-year-old man who was arrested in July 2013 by University of Washington Police in a stolen truck with stolen firearms, body armor and gasoline incendiary devices, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  JUSTIN MILES JASPER pleaded guilty to transportation of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of destructive devices.  He is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on February 20, 2014.

JASPER was arrested on July 3, 2013 near the UW campus in Seattle.  He was driving a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 pick-up truck with Montana plates.  The truck had been reported stolen by the owner in Butte, Montana.  Inside the truck police found a Stevens Model 311A double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun, with no serial number, and a Mauser Model 1895 bolt-action rifle.  Both guns had been stolen from the same owner as the truck.  According to the plea agreement, the truck also contained six destructive devices commonly referred to as “Molotov cocktails.”

Under the terms of the plea agreement, both the prosecution and defense will recommend a sentence of three years in prison and three years of supervised release.  Both sides will recommend that Judge Martinez require mental health counseling while JASPER is on supervised release and will recommend the Bureau of Prisons place JASPER at a facility with mental health treatment while he is incarcerated.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the UW Police Department, and the Seattle Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.