TACOMA – A 69-year-old member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 34 years in prison for nine federal crimes related to the sexual abuse of minors.
Joseph Turrey of Port Angeles was convicted following a seven-day jury trial in March. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle said Turrey had shown no sign of remorse.
According to records filed in the case, in 2021 three victims reported being abused by Turrey between 2008 and 2016. The charged assaults occurred on tribal land, which triggered federal jurisdiction. Two of the victims were as young as 6 and 7 years old when the sexual assaults began.
Early in his career, in 1993-94, Turrey served as a law enforcement officer on the Hoh Reservation. Turrey went on to serve as a police officer for the Lower Elwah Tribe and also served on the Tribal Council.
Turrey was convicted of six counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Lower Elwha S’Klallam Police Department, with assistance from the National Park Service.