Monroe man sentenced for stealing 29 guns, 20 of which are still ‘out there’

SEATTLE — A federal judge on Friday sentenced a Monroe man to a decade in prison for stealing more than two dozen guns from the Snohomish Fred Meyer store last year.

Matthew Elshaug sold or traded 29 stolen guns within 12 hours of breaking into the store and using a crowbar to pry open a display case.

His then-roommate, Casey Yount, 27, helped him fence the stolen firearms. Yount was sentenced in December to three years in prison. Two other men, Levi Herz and Raymond Baron, who purchased some of the stolen guns, also are serving time in federal prison.

Only nine of the stolen guns have been recovered by police.

“There are still 20 guns out there,” Snohomish Police Chief John Flood said. “We’ve reached a dead end in tracking them down.”

It’s concerning that the weapons could be used to commit other crimes, Flood said.

Elshaug, 37, helped lead police to the nine guns but was unable to tell detectives where the rest of the firearms ended up. He had traded them for drugs and sold some for cash.

It is possible that someone unknowingly has one of these stolen guns, Flood said.

The chief advised prospective gun buyers to check private sales with their local police department. Officers might be able to check serial numbers to determine if a firearm has been reported stolen.

Elshaug pleaded guilty to multiple crimes in October in U.S. District Court in Seattle. He also allegedly admitted to Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives Kendra Conley and Larry Cole that he was responsible for a number of other burglaries.

He is facing additional property crime charges in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.

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