Ellensburg Woman Pleads Not Guilty To Supplying Firearms To Convicted Felon

An Ellensburg woman has pled not guilty to charges that she supplied firearms to a convicted felon who's legally unable to possess them.

The Ellensburg Daily Record says the plea was recently entered by 52-year-old Melinda Marie Buttjer in Kittitas County Superior Court.

The felony charges were leveled against Buttjer last month following a domestic disturbance call involving her son at an Ellensburg residence last February.

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When officers responded to the complaint at the home on East 19th Avenue, the wife of Buttjer's son reportedly told them he had a cache of firearms stored inside a safe at the property that he wasn't legally allowed to possess.

Investigators subsequently inspected the safe and discovered a total of six firearms, including a short-barrel rifle which turned out to be in violation of federal firearms statutes.

When police contacted Buttjer about the discovery, she allegedly told authorities that all of the weapons were registered in her name and asked if she could retrieve them.

Detectives say a check of the firearms revealed all of them had been purchased by Buttjer, who they say then gave them to her son.

Buttjer is facing six counts of providing firearms to a convicted felon.
Her trial is scheduled to begin on May 11.