News Update

POSTED: Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009

Maple Falls man pleads guilty to attacking Lynden police officer

A Maple Falls man charged with attacking a Lynden police officer with a knife last year pleaded guilty in Whatcom County Superior Court Thursday, Feb. 19.

Daniel J. Stephens pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a deadly weapon. Judge Steven Mura sentenced him to 26 months in prison.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Dona Bracke said Stephens got 14 months for the assault and an additional 12 months for the deadly weapons enhancement.

Stephens has a prior conviction in Whatcom County for first-degree child molestation from 2003, and with the assault conviction he now has two strikes under Washington's "three strikes" law, Bracke said.

Stephens also had a conviction for second-degree assault in Snohomish County from 1990 that would have counted as his third strike, Bracke said, but he remained crime free for the next decade and had the strike removed from his record.

Under state law, offenders who get three strikes, meaning they are convicted of three "most-serious" offenses, are automatically sentenced to life in prison.

"You commit another crime like that in the state of Washington and you'll get life in prison without the possibility of parole," Mura told Stephens in court Thursday. "You'll die in prison."

According to charging documents:

Lynden police officer Mel Blankers tried to speak with Stephens after seeing him trespass on a resident's property in Lynden on May 15, 2008.

Stephens allegedly gave Blankers the fake name of John W. Johnson, but a Safeway card in his wallet identified his first name as Daniel.

As Blankers attempted to arrest Stephens for making false statements to an officer, Stephens pulled out a knife and tried to stab Blankers.

With a resident's help, Blankers was able to get the knife away from Stephens and handcuff him.

Stephens had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from the Department of Corrections for his first-degree child molestation conviction.