Posted in Felonies on December 29, 2014

Brian J. Slay, 32, has been accused of burglary and attempted murder in Clark County. The Woodland man allegedly went into an Amboy home and shot at the owner, Thomas Schenk, when Schenk interrupted him. No one was injured.

Slay is being held on $500,000 bail and a Vancouver defense attorney was appointed to represent him. His arraignment is scheduled for January 9. He is facing charges of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Schenk returned to his home on Christmas Eve to find his garage door unlocked. The home reportedly looked as if it had been ransacked. Schenk took out his concealed handgun and moved further into the house, where he found the suspect filling a bag with Schenk’s belongings. Schenk confronted the suspect, who reportedly raised his hands and said “don’t shoot” several times. The burglar then ran to the back bedroom and reappeared holding a handgun. He ordered Schenk to drop his weapon, but Schenk refused and Slay allegedly then fired at the homeowner, hitting a wall behind him. Schenk fired back, then exited the house and took cover to call police.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived and tracked the suspect with dogs. While searching, they found a knife and a pick-up truck believed to belong to the suspect. Neighbors reported seeing a man running from the house about 15 minutes before the dogs began searching. A warrant was served on the truck, and investigators found Slay’s ID inside of it. The truck was traced to the owner, Valerie Trimmer, who said she had loaned it to her daughter. The daughter, Rachelle Ward, is Slay’s girlfriend. Ward was arrested on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance for allegedly concealing the identity of a second burglary suspect from investigators.

Source: The Columbian, “Suspected burglar in Amboy shootout appears in court,” Paris Achen, December 29, 2014.

The post Woodland Man Accused of Burglary and Attempted Murder appeared first on LawBlogVancouver.

Posted in Felonies on December 30, 2014

Raymond J. Femling, 31, and Jason E. Stinson, 31, are facing charges in Clark County after the robbery and assault of a man they allegedly lured to a residence in the Image neighborhood of Vancouver because they believed him to be “a snitch.” The Vancouver men are accused of punching, kicking, and burning the victim, James Braithwate, with a methamphetamine pipe. They also reportedly threatened to kill him because of their suspicions about him.

The two accused are being charged with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault and first-degree robbery. They were each held on $200,000 bail and a Vancouver defense attorney was appointed to represent Stinson. Femling has indicated he wishes to hire his own attorney. Stinson’s arraignment is scheduled for January 9, and Femling’s for January 13.

Court documents indicate that Stinson invited the victim to his home and when Braithwate arrived, Femling and another man allegedly attacked him, kicking him and punching him multiple times. After the victim’s arm was burned with the pipe, Stinson allegedly then got a pillowcase and a rope, and he and Femling threatened to kill Braithwate. They then allegedly robbed the victim of $2,600 and all of his possessions and clothing. Femling reportedly said that he would kill Braithwate if he talked to anybody, and then Stinson followed Braithwate home in an apparent effort to make sure he drove home and to keep him frightened.

Source: The Columbian, “Two men held in Vancouver kidnapping, robbery,” Paris Achen, December 30, 2014.

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Posted in Felonies on January 18, 2015

Patti Jo McGregor, 59, has been accused of first-degree theft in Clark County. The Vancouver woman allegedly stole over $60,000 from the 85-year-old man she was working for as a caregiver.

Court documents indicate that McGregor managed to deceive Harold Thompson, the victim, into signing off on the purchase of a $63,000 annuity in McGregor’s name in 2010. The deputy prosecutor wrote in a court declaration that the annuity was purchased with the proceeds of a reverse mortgage on Thompson’s home. Thompson was reportedly expecting to receive payments from the annuity, which he believed to be a risk-free savings and investment. He received no money and contacted his sister to express his concerns. The deputy prosecutor wrote that his sister realized Thompson didn’t know what he had signed and found that the annuity was in McGregor’s name. McGregor had worked as a live-in caregiver for Thompson for about nine years when the discovery was made.

The victim’s sister confronted the accused and told her she had to return the stolen money. McGregor reportedly agreed to cash the annuity and return the money, but after she cashed it she fled from Thompson’s residence in his vehicle. She was found by sheriff’s deputies and arrested. She reported to court staff that she is homeless.

She was held in Clark County Jail on $75,000 bail and a Vancouver defense attorney was appointed to represent her. Her arraignment was scheduled for January 16.

Source: The Columbian, “Caregiver accused of stealing $60K from 85-year-old,” Paris Achen, January 9, 2015.

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Posted in Felonies on January 19, 2015

Robbyn Dale Mattson, 58, has pleaded not guilty in Clark County to eight counts of third-degree child molestation and 10 counts of second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. The Camas man worked as custodian and assistant softball coach at Camas High School. He was held on $10,000 bail and a Vancouver defense attorney was hired to represent him. His next hearing is scheduled for March 13 and his trial is set for April 13. All 18 of Mattson’s alleged victims have been issued protection orders against him and he is forbidden contact with the school.

Mattson allegedly groped the buttocks of 18 girls by walking among them as they passed between classrooms. A court affidavit says that surveillance video showed Mattson leave the custodian’s closet and move through the crowd of students before going back to the custodian’s closet. A 15-year-old girl reportedly told her mother that she had been touched on the buttocks by the custodian, apparently initially believing it was an accident. Upon learning other girls had experienced the same thing she realized it had most likely been intentional.

Other female students were interviewed and the assistant principal reviewed surveillance video that showed Mattson routinely going to the commons area and moving among the crowd of students. The assistant principal reported observing several incidents where Mattson touched the buttocks of female students, the sexual assault sometimes seemingly unnoticed. Mattson admitted touching the girls intentionally during a police interview.

Source: The Columbian, “Camas High coach pleads not guilty to touching students,” Paris Achen, January 13, 2015.

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Posted in Felonies on January 22, 2015

Levi L. Holland, 24, has been accused of burglary in Clark County. The Vancouver man allegedly broke into a residence on Southeast 31^st Street and was interrupted when the homeowner came home and saw suitcases on his lawn and a broken bedroom window.

The homeowner, John Palles, called 911 and entered his house, at which point he was assaulted and thrown to the ground by the burglar. The burglar fled on foot as police arrived. A local elementary school was put on modified lockdown for seven minutes as police searched for the suspect, who was witnessed traveling through backyards and jumping fences nearby. Police tracked him and used a Taser to subdue him, and he was taken into custody. He was transported to a hospital before being booked into Clark County Jail.

Palles reported that $5,000 worth of cash and jewelry were taken from his home, and $46 and some foreign coins were recovered. Holland was held on $50,000 and a Vancouver defense attorney was appointed to represent him. His arraignment is scheduled for February 4 and he is facing charges of first-degree burglary and first-degree theft.

Holland is reportedly homeless and a user of methamphetamine and heroin. He has previous criminal convictions of first-degree burglary, taking a motor vehicle without permission, manufacturing marijuana and probation violations.

Source: The Columbian, “Suspect in interrupted Vancouver burglary appears in court,” Paris Achen, January 21, 2015.

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