SEATTLE — The U.S. Attorney’s office says a 46-year-old Pierce County man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to seven years in prison for his repeated drug trafficking and possession of firearms.
A judge also imposed four years of supervised release to follow the sentence.
Ryan James Townsend was indicted in November 2023, after two encounters with law enforcement, said Gorman.
According to records filed in the case, Townsend was investigated by law enforcement in November 2022, for an incident where he fired multiple shots into the air outside a Planet Fitness gym in Tacoma. Witnesses and surveillance video showed Townsend in a white Escalade firing a handgun into the air.
Townsend was later found inside the same car at a gas station, passed out behind the wheel. Law enforcement found a 9mm handgun inside the car.
Townsend was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions, said Gorman.
In August 2023, a Puyallup Police Officer attempted to stop Townsend as he was driving in a different car with no license plates. Townsend reportedly sped off in the car, hitting and damaging another vehicle, and injuring the driver. Townsend eventually crashed his car and tried to run from the police.
Inside the car, officers reportedly found methamphetamine as well as a handgun in the glove box. When a search warrant was served on Townsend’s residence, agents seized fentanyl pills, heroin, and three firearms, said Gorman.
In June 2024, Townsend pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.
In asking for the seven-year sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Casey Conzatti wrote to the court, “On a number of occasions Mr. Townsend continued to possess firearms knowing he was not allowed to. On one occasion Mr. Townsend was observed shooting a gun into the air putting civilians in danger. Following the arrest for this conduct, Mr. Townsend did not stop his criminal behavior. Less than a year later, Mr. Townsend was found with a second firearm, and this time he had drugs with him.”