Robber gets over 10 years for Snohomish County pot shop spree

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 26, 2022

EVERETT — A Federal Way man has been sentenced to over 10 years in prison for robbing two Snohomish County marijuana shops.

On the night of Feb. 17, Rayshon Blackwell, 24, and another suspect robbed two pot shops, prosecutors alleged. First, they hit Kushman’s dispensary on Highway 99 in Lynnwood. They both displayed guns and Blackwell fired a shot in the store. They left with cash and weed.

About 37 minutes later, the pair did the same at a Bothell dispensary, forcing an employee to empty a cash register at gunpoint, according to court documents. Another 35 minutes later, they circled a Woodinville pot shop but continued on when they saw a security guard outside.

Since word had spread of the earlier robberies, the guard reported Blackwell’s Honda Accord, leading to a police pursuit. To keep up, Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies reported driving about 100 miles per hour.

Eventually, Blackwell crashed off the road. The other suspect ran, evading arrest.

This wasn’t Blackwell’s first robbery spree, according to court papers.

In 2014, police suspected him of over a dozen street robberies in Seattle. He reportedly admitted to 15.

The next year, he was sentenced in King County to five years in prison for robberies. In 2020, he was sentenced to over two years for unlawful possession of a firearm and third-degree assault.

In March, Snohomish County prosecutors charged the Federal Way man with two counts each of first-degree robbery and second-degree assault, as well as one count of unlawful firearm possession. Earlier this month, Blackwell pleaded guilty to those charges.

Under state sentencing guidelines, he faced between 10¾ years and 14¼ years.

On Thursday, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Paul Thompson sentenced him to the low end of that range.

Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.