Samath L. Hem, accompanied by his lawyer Jacob Clark, faces a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 23-year-old Tacoma man was given just over 12 years in prison today for his role in a violent robbery at a rural Chehalis home by a man expecting an escort he’d contacted on Backpage.com.
Samath L. Hem has been held in the Lewis County Jail since shortly after the April 29 events at a residence on the the 900 block of Logan Hill Road.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said two males arrived with the female to the home, but the 53-year-old victim didn’t report what happened until the following day.
The victim told authorities he was punched, hit in the head with a pistol and dragged to his bedroom where he was tied up with a power cord. His television and some checkbooks were gone when he was able to get himself untied and then some property belonging to him was discovered in the trunk of a car impounded after a shoplifting incident a few days later at Home Depot in Chehalis.
Natrone D. Bostick, 19, of Lakewood, pleaded guilty in mid-June and got a 15-year sentence.
Hem, with only a few misdemeanors in his past, was handed down a sentence today in Lewis County Superior Court of 12 years and three months.
Defense attorney Jacob Clark told the judge it was an agreed recommendation between him and the prosecutor’s office. Hem pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and second-degree burglary. He pleaded guilty to third-degree theft and possession of methamphetamine at the same time in the Home Depot case.
Judge Nelson Hunt agreed with the components of the plea deal.
Hem’s mother, fiancée and step-father sat behind him in the courtroom this afternoon, both women crying.
Hunt told Hem to turn around and take look at the emotion they were showing.
“This is about what you did,” Hunt said, as he admonished the defendant to remember the moment the next time he’s disposed to get into trouble.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office has said law enforcement figured out who the woman is, but no charges have been filed against her as of today.
•••
For background, read “Nineteen-year-old gets sentenced for Backpage.com related home invasion” from Thursday June 16, 2016, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
If you’re so unhappy why don’t you move..
Yes Steve, I am a massive criminal. So massive that all I have to do is turn on my TV every evening at 5 o’clock and images are beamed straight to me of police pulling that crap on a regular basis.
Soaper; where do you get your info?? Are you a massive criminal that has only had poor encounters with the Police? Here’s a case where the Police caught the bad guys, they were charged and prosecuted and you’re bitching about it? What a bunch of crap. Why don’t you move since you seem to hate it here so much!
This guy getting 12 years doesn’t bother me at all, Soaper. Better than having to deal with him on the streets. And I agree with Slim…there has to be a plea deal in place for the woman who acted as a decoy. She probably ratted these guys out to save her own skin.
What those guys did was complete B.S. and they deserve to be punished pretty hard, but my god 12 years when he has only had a few misdemeanors?!?
The police go into peoples’ homes rough ’em up and steal their belongings all the time (or just the cool stuff like electronics, computers, TV’s, etc..why don’t they take bed sheets or dishes) because one person there has a bag of dope on them and the cops are considered heroes (at least amongst like-minded simpletons). What S.W.A.T. teams do and what home invaders do is essentially the same thing. Just you’ll never see a cop going to jail for it. It’s a complete scam.
If cops need to go into a house to arrest somebody, then fine, go ahead and play Rambo and kick the door in and stick your guns in people’s faces and yell and shout like a bunch of idiots. I admit that might be fun a couple times (if you’re 8), but for god’s sake just get your guy and leave. Since when are they allowed to hang out afterwords long after the suspect is gone and pilfer through everything stealing shit? I hear about it and have personally witnessed this exact process and it’s shameful. It’s no different than being a thief…no different.
The woman involved was the Prize that was used as bait on the Back Page scheme. I’m wondering where she was when the crime took place. Did she witness these crimes, was this premedataded ? To me it seems a little fishey about this womans role in this crime. After all if the victim had set up a date with her then why did two guys tag along with her. I’m leaning towards it wad premedatated and she played a role in this crime as well. But I also think she must have given testimony that implicated the two Defendants. I’m thinking she will not be charged in this cime even though she was used as the Key to get ino thr residence. Once again partial justice is served. As for the sentence they received, I’m wondering where is the gun enhancement charge. Commit a crime with a gun and get more time is the norm. Being Lewis county we only get partial truths, Sharyon how about posting the court documents in another section as a link to the story and all the news storys in the future. It only takes a second go copy the documents. Then we can truly make a comment that is not a shot in the dark. Reporting is cannon fodder, we just get bits and pieces of a story. Two thugs off the street and one body sales women goes free.Gentlemen Enjoy the DOC’s hourly rate of 33 cents an hour. Just imagine all the legal money you could of made during you’re prison sentence. What is that they say about prison. Oh yeah don’t drop the Soap, Say hi to Snow Flake for me, would ya!