Guilty: Man who stabbed Sheriff’s deputy last year sentenced to 27 years

A Pierce County man was sentenced to almost 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder and assault charges in connection with his stabbing of a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy in March last year.

Ronald Clayton pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder while armed with a deadly weapon and second-degree assault in Thurston County Superior Court yesterday, according to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

In March 2021, Clayton entered the home of an elderly woman who knew him from a former roommate.

The suspect pulled out a large knife and said he was going to rape her. The woman pleaded with him for about 10 to 15 minutes, after which a neighbor checked in on her and then called 911 from her home.

Later, Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrea Moore arrived and asked the woman if she was okay. Clayton appeared from behind the woman while wielding a knife, prompting the deputy to open fire. The suspect knocked the woman to the ground and charged at Moore.

The woman said she heard gunshots and then locked herself in her home until medics arrived. Moore, meanwhile, reported over the radio that she had been stabbed. A second deputy arrived and found Clayton and Moore on the ground, with a knife near the suspect.

Both Clayton and Moore were brought to the Providence St. Peter Hospital following the incident. Before receiving medical aid, the deputy was said to have lost consciousness at one point due to the stab wound on her neck.

The incident was investigated by the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team. The elderly woman died in May 2022, and her representatives told the court about the impact of that night on the last 14 months of her life.

Moore has since transferred to another law enforcement agency. The deputy addressed Clayton directly in court, saying, “You failed. And I – a woman – am who took you down.”