SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. -- The son of a missing Skagit County woman has new hope that witnesses will come forward.
That s because the man he believes responsible for his mother s disappearance, a felon with a long and violent history, is headed for a long term in federal prison.
I think Larry Pressley is the last person to have seen my mom alive, said Alan Patterson, whose mother, Patti Krieger, vanished after a day on Sauk Mountain in October of 2010.
Not a whole lot of people would cross (Pressley). He s got tactics of scaring people into silence and not telling. Well, he can t really do that for the next 10 years, said Patterson.
Seattle federal judge Robert Lasnik sentenced Pressley to the 10-year term on gun charges unrelated to the disappearance of Pressley s one-time girlfriend Patti Krieger. Pressley pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a stolen gun and body armor.
It s somebody who s prepared for combat, said federal prosecutor Michael Dion of the weapons found in Pressley s home by a parole officer. This is the way you d outfit yourself if you thought you were going to be involved in a full on firefight.
Pressley has said that Krieger separated from him and his family while on Sauk Mountain scattering the ashes of Pressley s parents.
Patterson says Pressley said he went back up the mountain to look for Krieger, but never found her.
Air and ground searches failed to turn up many leads, although Krieger s dog was found wandering in the area several days later.
No, I don t believe she s alive, said Patterson.
Pressley has served prison sentences for child rape, drive-by shooting and assault on police officers.
But Patterson hopes his new prison term will convince people who know the real story behind his mother s disappearance to come forward.
Anybody that may have been fearful of him coming after them or reprisal, will not have that fear anymore, said Patterson. It d be a safe time to come forward because he s locked up for ten years.
Pressley has also denied involved in Krieger s disappearance, and did so again before Judge Robert Lasnik.
The Skagit County Sheriff s Office has never declared Pressley a suspect.
