Port Townsend, Washington
On November 10th, 2020, Dennis Shaw of Kitsap County was found alongside Anderson Lake Road after passers-by called 911 out of fear he would be struck by a vehicle. When contacted by Jefferson County Deputies and a State Trooper, Mr. Shaw stated he had been beaten, drugged, dumped alongside the road, and threatened with death if he reported the incident. Mr. Shaw refused to name his attackers and eventually he was taken by ambulance to the hospital for medical care.
For months the case went cold due to a lack of leads. This changed in late in February of 2021 when Mr. Shaw reached out to detectives and reported his attackers were: Zachary Barbee (age 42), Robert Cuevas (age 20), Isaiah Peoples-Morse (age 18), and Guiseppe Glanz (age 20). In this interview Mr. Shaw reported he had been beaten with clubs and fists, he tried to get to the door but was dragged back into the room, he was shot in the eye with an airsoft pistol which caused him to lose 75% of the sight in that eye, he had suboxone forced into his mouth, and his hair had been cut off. Mr. Shaw further explained that at one point there were discussions about killing him but eventually it was decided he would be driven from Port Townsend out into the County where he would be dumped off.
Detectives began looking for each of the suspects and within a week, each of them were picked up and interviewed. All of them admitted to being involved in the kidnapping. Based on the above facts, Deputy Prosecutor Anna Phillips filed charges of: kidnapping in the first degree; assault in the first degree; and robbery in the first degree.
Each charge included an aggravator alleging the co-defendants acted with deliberate cruelty towards Mr. Shaw. On October 8, 2021, the ordeal came to a close with the sentencing of
Zachary Barbee. Mr. Barbee, who was 20 years older than his co-defendants, pled guilty to kidnapping in the second degree and assault in the second degree; he was sentenced to 84 months. Court documents indicate Mr. Barbee organized the kidnapping in retaliation for a theft that was thought to have been committed by Mr. Shaw.
The other defendants, who were all much younger, received lower sentences.
Isaiah Peoples-Morse of Kelso, who was seventeen at the time of the incident and was also facing unrelated charges for theft and residential burglary was sentenced to sixty months in custody.
Robert Cuevas, who also faced unrelated charges for possessing a stolen firearm, was sentenced to forty-eight months in custody.
Guiseppe Glanz was sentenced to seventeen months in custody.
Each of the defendants were also ordered to serve a minimum of eighteen months of community custody after their release. In each case the court also issue protection orders which prevent the defendants from contacting Mr. Shaw.
Chief Criminal Prosecutor Chris Ashcraft praised Deputy Prosecutor Anna Phillips, “It can be challenging to obtain justice for homeless victims since they can be hard to locate and frequently have other personal issues to cope with. Anna fought hard for Mr. Shaw and obtained justice for him.”
For more information contact:
Anna Phillips or Chris Ashcraft
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
(360) 385-9180