Prosecutors Desk 3-27-16

On Tuesday, March 22, Gregory Pritchett of Kettle Falls was sentenced on his plea of Guilty to two counts of Rape in the third degree. Superior Court Judge Pat Monasmith presided at the sentencing hearing. The charges arose out of his conduct with two of his clients in a massage therapy setting. One incident with one victim occurred about two years ago and one about one year ago.

The judge first listened to the two victims and from another family member of one of the victims. They talked about Pritchett’s conduct as a violation of the trust they had in a health care worker and the devastating impact this has had and continues to have on their emotional and physical well being. They urged Judge Monasmith to sentence the defendant to the maximum sentence.

Then the judge listened to witnesses for the defendant. Pritchett’s wife testified that he was a good man and the acts he did were completely out of character. Other witnesses spoke to remind the court of Pritchett’s record of positive community service work over the past twenty years. Mr. Pritchett apologized to his victims and expressed remorse for his conduct. He said he hated the fact that he had hurt someone because he only wanted to help.

Judge Monasmith stated that he was aware of the facts of the case from the court documents and the statements of the attorneys and witnesses. The court acknowledged that the victims were violated and believed the witnesses for the defendant minimized the wrongfulness of his conduct.

The court praised the victims for having the courage to come forward and the toughness to go through the uncomfortable process of interviews and the long proceedings that it takes to bring criminal cases to their conclusion. The judge rejected the mid-range sentence recommendation and sentenced Mr. Pritchett to 11 months in jail followed by 12 months in Community Custody. The judgment requires him to register as sex offender, and any license as a massage therapist or other healthcare worker is permanently revoked. He will be required to pay a fine and pay restitution to his victims.

The courage of victims to come forward and to be willing to testify is what makes the difference in these kinds of cases. Without courageous victims, we could not prosecute. Without courageous victims these predators would get away with it.

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