Tacoma – A 69-year-old member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe was convicted Friday of nine federal crimes related to the sexual abuse of minors.
Joseph Anthony Turrey of Port Angeles is a former tribal councilmember of the Lower Elwha Tribe and former Chief of Police on the Hoh Reservation.
He was convicted following a seven-day trial. The jury deliberated for about two days before returning the guilty verdicts. Turrey was remanded to federal custody to await sentencing, which is scheduled for June 5.
According to records filed in the case, in 2021, three victims came forward to report abuse by the defendant that occurred between 2008 and 2016. The assaults occurred on tribal land, which triggered the case to be federal jurisdiction. Two of the victims were as young as 6 and 7 years old when the sexual assaults began.
Turrey was convicted of six counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and three counts of lesser charges.
Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor is punishable by a mandatory-minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum of life.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Lower Elwha S’Klallam Police Department, with assistance from the National Park Service.