Andrew Carlson was sentenced to 12 months in prison. This is a long article about his sentencing hearing. Because of the TOS, only excerpts of the beginning portion are being posted, but the entire article is worthwhile reading. Carlson's comments, and his attorney's comments are really nauseating to read.
Missing Oakville Girl’s Father Gets a Year in Prison for Exposing Children to Meth: Grays Harbor Superior Court: Still No Charges Filed in Disappearance of Oakley Carlson
Andrew Carlson, the biological father of missing 5-year-old Oakville girl Oakley Carlson, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty earlier this month to charges unrelated to Oakley.
In addition to the prison sentence, Carlson will be required to undergo a chemical dependency evaluation within 45 days of his release and complete any recommended treatment.
Upon his release, he will not be allowed to possess controlled substances without a prescription and will not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with children under 18. Judge Katherine Svoboda granted Carlson an exception to have contact with his biological children, pending separate dependency hearings. He is allowed to have contact with his 11-year-old child from his previous marriage.
“I would like to say that I deeply regret my failings as a father,” Carlson said. “I haven’t done a lot of things correctly in the last seven years or so. I’m very ready to turn that around and if I can’t be a father to my children at least I can be an example they can look at and say I did the right thing.”
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Carlson pleaded guilty to the two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance on March 14. The second-degree abandonment charge was dismissed.
The dismissal of that charge was “a significant benefit to (Carlson),” said Deputy Prosecutor Jason Walker, who recommended that Svobada sentence Carlson on the high end of the 6- to 12-month sentencing range.
“These cases are frustrating for the court because we are limited by what the prosecutor brings before us and what the Legislature gives us as sentencing authority,” said Svoboda on Monday, adding that, despite the crimes being Class C felonies, her only option to sentence Carlson outside of that 6 to 12 month standard range would be to grant him a first-time offender waiver — which would reduce his jail sentence to a 0 to 90 day range but would place him on community custody.
Svoboda said community custody would have been a benefit because “I’m not convinced you are going to follow through unless someone is watching.” She said the 0 to 90 day sentencing range allowed by the first-time offender waiver was not fitting to the crime.
“Based on the limitations before me, I’m going to do the most that I can,” she said, later adding, “I don’t know how you dig yourself out of this, Mr. Carlson, but you’ve earned every day.”
Carlson, who has been in custody on $150,000 bail since his initial arrest on Dec. 6, is eligible for early release in August.
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“On behalf of Mr. Andrew Carlson in this matter, he comes before you today humble, very sensitive,” said Carlson’s attorney, Jonathan Feste, during Carlson’s sentencing hearing on Monday.
Feste stated that Carlson has been cooperative with police and that in the 3 1/2 months since his arrest “there’s been much opportunity for (Carlson) to have a clear head.”
When informing the court that Carlson intended to give a brief statement, Feste said, “He is under advice to be careful of words. We obviously know there are more things associated with this matter. We simply want to acknowledge for the community the great pain that is felt, that there is compassion for children who are placed in such risky environments. He cannot undo the past seven years but if he can take constructive steps going forward, I think Mr. Walker has shown grace with this matter.”
(IMO, there is only one thing he could do that would prove that he wants to turn his life around and be a responsible person -- and we all know what that is.)
