Pasco man facing ‘third strike’ narrowly avoids life sentence for attempting to stab officer

When a 43-year-old man threatened to stab a Pasco police officer, he could have faced life in prison.

Instead, Isaac Madaffer of Pasco will serve 10 years in prison in the hopes he can change his behavior, Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Astley said.

Madaffer had two prior “assaults” under state law and could have suffered a third assault after threatening to stab Pasco Police Officer Kierra Peoples outside Lourdes Medical Center in February, according to court documents.

“I’ve been working here a long time,” Astley warned. “I have a good memory, and if he comes back for another strike violation, I will remember it.”

Pasco police officials would have preferred to see Madaffer receive a life sentence and worry he won’t change.

This isn’t the first time Peoples has been targeted by a man with a knife. She was one of two officers injured when Alejandro Betancourt-Mendoza attacked her and Officer Ben Boykin at a Pasco home in 2019.

Although he did not receive a life sentence, Madaffer will serve nearly twice as much time as he normally could receive after pleading guilty to third-degree assault with a deadly weapon and intimidation.

Madaffer’s lawyer, Peyman Younesi, suggested his client had mental health problems and may have had suicidal thoughts.

A state psychologist found Madaffer has antisocial personality disorder and addictions to amphetamine, alcohol and cannabis.

Madaffer also told psychologists that he spent time in several hospitals because his brain was “messed up because of the medications and the life he leads,” according to a mental health evaluation.

“We live in a world where suicide is becoming more common,” he said. “I am grateful that this province appreciates that.”

Madaffer had an epiphany after being jailed to face these charges, and wants to make changes to avoid the problem, Younesi said.

Judge Joe Burrowes told the man he was getting a break here, and there was nothing in the court documents to indicate he had a mental health problem.

“I hope you turn your life around,” the judge said. “I’ll tell you, you really could have been in prison for life. … You’re lucky to be alive.”

Three strikes

Washington’s persistent offender law, known as the three strikes law, is used for offenders convicted of three violent crimes, including first- and second-degree assault and first- and second-degree rape.

It’s a relatively rare phrase in Washington state. Only about 2% of the 12,000 inmates in state prisons are serving life sentences under the law.

In Madaffer’s case, he got his first strike in 2004 when he was convicted of first-degree robbery in Spokane. His second came about 13 years later, when he was convicted of second-degree assault.

He also had five other convictions, including assault, intimidation and first-degree theft.

Astley said he could have been charged with second-degree assault for threatening the Pasco police officer with a knife. If he had been convicted, it would have been his third attack.

“Based on the facts of this case – particularly the use of a deadly weapon – and his criminal history, the suspect has portrayed himself as a dangerous individual,” Astley wrote.

His convictions for third-degree assault and harassment do not count as strikes. In return, prosecutors asked for a higher sentence than normal. They asked him to serve five years on each count, for a total of ten years.

Burrowes agreed to the verdict.

Confrontation

On Feb. 24, Madaffer stood outside Lourdes Medical Center at 520 Fourth Ave in Pasco, drinking a beer, holding a knife and yelling at himself.

“He had previously gone in and out of the ER lobby, but ultimately remained outside when asked to be outside,” Peoples wrote.

When she arrived, he was standing outside the emergency room doors. According to court documents, he started yelling that he was going to kill the officer as she got out of her car.

He started approaching her with the knife in his hand, and she was afraid he was going to stab her, so she backed away.

He threw what appeared to be a blunt object at another officer, according to court documents. He then approached three more times and said he was going to kill Peoples.

“He refused to drop the knife and refused to follow orders. He knowingly threatened to kill me,” Peoples wrote.

It is not clear in court documents when or how Madaffer was arrested, but there was no report that he was injured.