Lewis County man accused of unlawfully having 21 firearms captured with help of K9

A Randle man was arrested Friday afternoon for alleged unlawful possession of approximately 21 firearms, at least three of which had been reported stolen.

Bail is set at $35,000.

Justin Emmett Green, 32, was charged Monday, Dec. 9, for 19 alleged felony firearm offenses: two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, one count of unlawful possession of a short-barreled firearm, and 16 counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into Green on Dec. 4 after the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office reported that, while a deputy was investigating a HomeWav video call between an inmate and a Lewis County woman, “the deputy was able to observe Justin Green walking in the background with a rifle slung over his shoulder,” according to court documents.

Green was convicted in Skagit County in June 2023 for second-degree theft, second-degree vehicle prowl and attempt to elude charges, according to court records. Green served his 30-day jail sentence and was released, but the convictions make it illegal for Green to own or possess firearms.

His criminal history also includes convictions for felony harassment, DUI and malicious mischief.

“There was no indication that his firearms rights had been restored,” the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stated in charging documents.

A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective who reviewed the HomeWav video confirmed that the male carrying the rifle was Green, who “could be heard to imply he had 22 firearms,” according to court documents.

Deputies have also since confirmed that, at the time of the video call, Green had three active warrants for his arrest out of Mount Vernon and Skagit County courts.

Multiple deputies reportedly responded to Green’s residence at 150 Davis Creek Road in Randle to execute a search warrant on Friday, Dec. 6, according to court documents.

“When they arrived at the property, the gate was locked and no one was responding to the deputies’ attempts to hail someone to the gate,” according to court documents.

Deputies eventually breached the gate and contacted a woman inside the residence who allegedly “seemed evasive about Green’s whereabouts.”

Deputies who searched the residence reportedly found a total of 21 firearms. Multiple weapons “appeared to be unlawful due to no serial markings or indentations,” and one “appeared to have been modified such that the barrel had been shortened with some tool that caused the barrel to be too short for a short-barrelled shotgun.”

The recovered firearms included a variety of rifles, shotguns and pistols, as well as two AR-style rifles with no markings that are commonly called “ghost” guns, according to court documents.

A K9 team eventually located Green hiding in the woods of the property. Green was “apprehended after the K9 had located and bit the suspect,” according to court documents.

When questioned, Green allegedly “admitted all firearms found in the residence belonged to him” and, when asked where he got the firearms from, he allegedly said “I got them around.”

He allegedly “further admitted he knew law enforcement was present and then he ran to the backside of the property to avoid detection,” according to court documents.

Arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 19.