Snohomish County man gets life for $60 and smokes

BY Chris Sullivan  on December 13, 2012 @ 5:49 am (Updated: 8:33 am - 12/13/12 )

A 29-year-old Snohomish County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after robbing a convenience store for cigarettes and cash.

Keith Puett was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for stealing eight packs of Marlboro's and $60.

The punishment might be considered a little harsh, but this was Puett's third strike. The Everett Herald reports he has two previous convictions for second degree assault.

What makes this case strange is that Puett pleaded guilty to the crime knowing he would spend the rest of his life locked up.

He said he made the unusual move because he didn't want to be kept from communicating with his girlfriend in prison. Had he been convicted at trial, the prosecutor's office had said it would have asked that he have no contact with her.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (20)


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  • Zoeller wrote...
    This idiot is -
    December 13, 2012 7:03 am
    Right where he belongs.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    What are you stupid?
    December 13, 2012 7:03 am
    Like she is going to stay your girlfriend now that you are locked up for life. Expect your calls to no longer be answered and her number to change you idiot. Your new girl friend will have a matching beard.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • El Duderino wrote...
    LOL
    December 13, 2012 8:59 am
    Funniest comment I've seen here in a long time. This dude is certainly P-whipped pretty bad.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Fuego wrote...
    He won't be there
    December 13, 2012 8:03 am
    for long as I'm sure the state doesn't have the money to support this guy and many others for the next 45 years. At least he won't be able to vote...or I hope so anyway.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    I'm Wondering...
    December 13, 2012 8:39 am
    .... what his other two convictions were for. If they were for equally petty and unvoilent crimes than I think this is an extreme example of the "three strikes" law.

    Do we really want to support this guy on the public dole for the rest of his life?

    There is something to be said for corporal punishment. It would be a good alternative for smaller crimes like these.

    The "three strikes" law is great for hard crimes but as another poster suggested... we really don't have the money to lock these kinds of criminals up forever... even if they are a little dimwitted.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • El Duderino wrote...
    Hey
    December 13, 2012 8:59 am
    Lots of room now that the dopers won't be in there...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JMGilday wrote...
    ah crap
    December 13, 2012 9:03 am
    one more reason for the French to hate us...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RobertK wrote...
    Ah crap
    December 13, 2012 9:15 am
    I hope your post was sarcasm, but being this is a Seattle area blog.... So, tell me, what does the French hating us have to do with anything? Have you noticed lately, the Frog's are in rapidly boiling water right now, their hatred towards themselves is their biggest problem, so again, why does the French hating us matter?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • xplanes wrote...
    Ah Crap
    December 13, 2012 9:47 am
    The only serious comment in here and it's about not getting a joke.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SnakeBite wrote...
    To Think...
    December 13, 2012 10:04 am
    To think this this kind of person votes, has kids, drives on the streets, maybe carries a weapon of some kind and walks among us is unsettling. He is a complete unmitigated moron. They don't make 'em any more stupid.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    I don't know about YOU, BUT
    December 13, 2012 10:26 am
    I don't want to see the citizens of Washington State paying $40,000 a year to keep a cigarette thief in jail for life,if he lives to 70 then we will pay over $1,600,000 to lock this guy up.I'm surprised that you Rightys are not outraged at this WASTE of our tax dollars
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • xplanes wrote...
    That's what prisons are for...
    December 13, 2012 10:47 am
    As a "Righty" I can say that prisons where made for people who cannot be controlled by the law alone. If this guy (or any other) cannot stop committing crimes then the public isn't being protected unless he is locked up. My outrage over the waste is properly directed at the fact that he isn't being forced to earn his keep. I believe that is a "Lefties" principle that it is inhumane to force them to work while in prison. It get's in the way of TV time.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MainEvent wrote...
    Actually...
    December 13, 2012 11:03 am
    I would consider myself more left than right and putting morons like this to work on public works projects should be enacted right now. Getting rid of the illegals and making these guys pick the fruit would benefit everyone.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • shark75 wrote...
    WAmovesRight wrote...
    December 13, 2012 11:43 am
    Who cares what he did. He was dumb enough to get three strikes. You think he wasnt made aware of this after being convicted of his second strike? I'm fine with paying whatever to keep him locked up. If he wasnt behind bars he would probably be using his EBT card and If I'm giving my money to your a*ss, I want to make sure you're as miserable as possible...preferably behind bars.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    Hmm...what to do with this guy
    December 13, 2012 1:36 pm
    Life in prison is too expensive, and the death penalty is too severe a penalty for just being retarded. Is deportation a viable solution? Perhap a mine or quarry somewhere where he can work off his sentence?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    OOOH! OOOH! I GOT IT!
    December 13, 2012 1:36 pm
    Let's sell him to the Chinese! He can spend the rest of his life doing hard labor for them, and they can knock a million or so off our debt! It doesn't sound like much for one guy, but if we started doing it with ALL of these idiots, we'll be back in the black in no time flat!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • xplanes wrote...
    That's funny
    December 13, 2012 2:08 pm
    No way is China going to pay full price for our idiots.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }