By SDCN Staff
A Washington man was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Seattle, Washington, in connection with a 2018, shooting that damaged a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, 50, of Olympia, Washington, was charged in a superseding indictment with one count of damage to religious property, including the use of a dangerous weapon. He also was charged with one count of the use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The original indictment charged him with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to the indictment, on or about May 15, 2018, Starrett used a semi-automatic rifle to deface, damage, and destroy religious real property at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall of Yelm, Washington, because of the religious character of the property.
If convicted, Starrett faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the charge of damage to religious property involving the use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted on the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm charge, he faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed for the remaining firearms offense.
