Served 16 of 41 months

WENATCHEE – In an unexpected development this week, Bridgeport resident and convicted felon, Jovany Lopez-Maciel, who was sentenced to a maximum 41 months in prison in June 2017 for the hit-and-run death of Brewster resident Gary Knowlton on July 16, 2016, was released from custody last Monday, Jan. 14.

Earlier provisions of Maciel’s sentencing specified a period of 18 months of supervision following his eventual release.

While the full details remain sketchy at this writing, Maciel was housed at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell prior to his release but was scheduled to be detained by officials of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held in detention in Tacoma for ultimate deportation to Mexico.

Last December, Knowlton’s widow, Deana Knowlton, received an email advisory from Charissa Cruickshank, Victim/Witness Coordinator for the Chelan County Prosecutor’s Office notifying Knowlton of the pending January release.

Cruickshank wrote that upon consulting Maciel’s judgement and sentencing review, sentence range, credit for time served awaiting trial, and “good time” credit, the mid-January release date was accurate.

“This was a bit of a shock to me, so I am assuming it will be to you as well,” Cruickshank wrote to Knowlton.

In a risk level assessment last June, the Department of Corrections (DOC) determined Maciel’s risk level as Moderate and thus ruled that he would be ineligible for supervision, in contrast to Maciel’s judgement and sentence guidelines.

Explaining risk level, Susan Braverman of the DOC wrote that an offender’s risk level is currently comprised of dynamic and static factors. The difference between the two is dynamic factors can be changed by human intervention whereas static factors cannot be changed. Prior to 2018 DOC only used static factors in its Washington 1 assessment procedure. Following the DOC assessment, a review team checked the results for accuracy and confirmed the DOC findings.

Knowlton has been actively involved with her state legislators in an attempt to revisit and toughen the sentencing laws beyond the 41-month maximum imposed on Maciel for the death of her husband.

“I refuse to let another family go through the heartache of losing someone to a senseless act and only get a slap on the hand,” Knowlton told the Quad City Herald.

In January 2018 the state House of Representatives passed a Resolution honoring the life and achievements of Gary Knowlton.

Maciel’s father, wanted by authorities in connection with aiding his son’s flight from apprehension following the hit-and-run, remains at large at this writing.