Sex offender sentenced for attempting to kill a Thurston deputy in 2021 Yelm incident
A 43-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to murder a Thurston County deputy in 2021.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson sentenced Ronald Clayton to just under 27 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree attempted murder and assault. His guilty plea averted a trial that was scheduled to start in October.
Clayton stabbed deputy Andrea Moore in the neck outside a Yelm home on March 26, 2021. During the incident, Moore shot Clayton multiple times, The Olympian previously reported.
Medical aid transported Moore, who was 35 at the time, to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia where doctors confirmed she suffered a stab wound that struck her thyroid gland. Meanwhile, Clayton was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
During the Monday court hearing, Moore reportedly said Clayton sought to show dominance over those he deemed weak.
“You failed,” Moore said. “And I, a woman, am who took you down.”
Senior deputy prosecuting attorney Brandi Archer issued a statement after the hearing. She said justice had been served for the victims of Clayton’s violent crimes.
“This incident had a profound impact on the victims and the community, and I am moved by the strength and resilience of the officer,” Archer said. “Hopefully today’s sentencing provides some level of closure for everyone impacted by Mr. Clayton’s actions.”
A regional law enforcement team investigated the incident. They learned Moore responded to a call requesting the removal of an unwanted man on Holly Street Southeast in Yelm at 8 p.m. that night.
The call came from a concerned neighbor who checked on the elderly woman, according to court documents. After the incident, the woman told investigators Clayton attempted to rape her at knifepoint in her trailer.
When Moore arrived to check on the woman, Clayton reportedly charged at Moore from behind the elderly woman. She reported hearing gunshots and then locked herself in her home. She remained inside until Clayton and Moore had been transported from the scene.
At the time, Clayton was wanted for escaping community custody and failing to register as a sex offender, according to court records.
He had been convicted of assault and rape in Pierce County Superior Court in 1995. He also has prior felony convictions for failing to register as a sex offender in 2014, 2016 and 2017, according to court records.
In a news release, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the elderly woman died in May.
Moore has since transferred to the Lacey Police Department. She was awarded the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor by Gov. Jay Inslee in May.
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 12:49 PM.
