One of three men who impersonated federal law enforcement while zip-tying a 71-year-old Pierce County woman's hands together in a home-invasion robbery has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Timothy Eugene Rozier, 44, pleaded guilty Monday in Pierce County Superior Court to first-degree robbery in the Jan. 4, 2023, robbery at an Elk Plain home about a half mile from Bethel Middle School. According to court records, the woman's front door was kicked open that afternoon by men wearing black and camouflage clothing with tactical vests and badges on their chests.
The men yelled that they were U.S. Marshals, and they told her to get on the ground and put her hands behind her back. The woman later told detectives that a gun was pointed in her face, and the men restrained her and asked, "Where's the money?" One demanded to know where a DVR was while others ransacked her bedroom.
Stolen from the home was a purse containing money and jewelry, a pump-action shotgun and other items.
Surveillance video showed that while Rozier and two other men robbed the home, a fourth suspect sat in the driver's seat of a gold Chevy Tahoe. Prosecutors wrote in court filings that no one but Rozier was identified, arrested or charged in the crime.
Rozier was the only suspect who wasn't wearing a mask. Court records state a Pierce County Sheriff's Department deputy recognized him in a bulletin issued to local law enforcement, and previous photographs of him matched images taken from surveillance cameras at the victim's home.
Investigators also obtained cell-phone data for the defendant that allegedly showed him in the area of the victim's home at the time of the robbery.
Judge Pro Tempore Brian Tollefson handed Rozier a mid-range sentence recommended by prosecutors, 128 months in prison. The defendant received credit for the 425 days he's already served in the Pierce County Jail.
Charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records.
Prosecutors wrote in charging papers that surveillance video showed Rozier appearing to load a round into his pistol before entering the residence. Another man carried an AR-style rifle. In more recent court filings, prosecutors said there was doubt as to whether firearm-sentencing enhancements in Rozier's case could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
After the robbers left, the woman removed a blanket that had been put over her head and escaped from the zip ties binding her, according to the probable cause document. Shortly after, a resident of a nearby trailer saw the woman's front door was damaged. She went inside, and 911 was called.
The victim did not believe that the men were U.S. Marshals, records state. Detectives confirmed with a supervisor within the U.S. Marshal's office that the unmasked suspect was not one of his deputies, and the masked suspects did not appear to be U.S. Marshals.
A Sheriff's Department spokesperson previously told The News Tribune that it's rare for such robberies to be random. Sgt. Darren Moss said they are typically drug-related or set up by a family member. Deputies didn't believe the victim was a drug dealer, but other people were staying on the property. The residence was described as a "problem house" in court records that often had narcotic activity and stolen vehicles associated with it.
Rozier's felony criminal history in Pierce County dates back to 2001, according to court records. He has convictions for attempted residential burglary, second-degree assault and unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance.
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