Woman seriously injured after passing out at wheel, police say

A Vancouver woman who police said passed out while driving Sunday evening was in serious condition Monday at an area hospital.

Jessica D. Barber, 27, was at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

Barber suffered a broken pelvis and several broken ribs as a result of the accident on state Highway 500, east of Vancouver and just east of Milepost 10. She crashed her Chrysler PT Cruiser shortly before 8 p.m., according to a bulletin from the Washington State Patrol. The car hit a tree and caught fire.

Barber was cited on suspicion of driving under the influence, failure to wear a seat belt and speeding, according to the bulletin.

According to court records, she has prior convictions for driving drunk and driving with a suspended license.

Shoplifting scheme alleged

An alleged shoplifting scheme fell apart over the weekend for two Oregon men who made first appearances Monday in Clark County Superior Court on charges of organized retail theft in the second degree.

Bail was set at $10,000 for Michael J. Smith, 44, of Aloha and Timothy M. Larson, 52, of Portland.

They were arrested Saturday afternoon after leaving Sportsman’s Warehouse, 11505 N.E. Fourth Plain Road, said Kim Kapp, spokeswoman for the Vancouver Police Department.

A store security officer told police that Smith loaded a cart with $500 worth of merchandise, then Larson tried to return the items. Told the store didn’t give cash refunds without receipts, Larson instead accepted a gift card, according to court documents. The men had been allegedly caught on security cameras on Sept. 15, doing the same scam with $281 worth of merchandise and on Sept. 18 with $485 worth of goods.

On Saturday, employees gave police a description of the suspects’ vehicle and an officer pulled them over after they left the store, Kapp said. She said the two men allegedly tried the same scam earlier in the day at a Sportsman’s Warehouse in Clackamas County.

When they were booked into the Clark County Jail on Saturday, both men listed their mothers as references. Both mothers told corrections officers that their sons were mentally ill, according to court records.

Rite-Aid robbed

Banks and convenience stores aren’t the only places targeted by thieves looking for a quick cash infusion. In the past five months, Vancouver police have received reports of a woman robbing a tanning salon and a man sticking up a movie theater concession stand. On Sunday, officers were called to Rite Aid, 2800 N.E. 162nd Ave.

“People are definitely looking at other types of businesses,” said police spokeswoman Kim Kapp.

Kapp said the would-be robber entered the Rite Aid at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, threatened a clerk with a knife and demanded the clerk open the register. When the till didn’t immediately open, the robber fled.

Witnesses described the man as 5-foot-7, 140 pounds and wearing a navy blue hoodie sweatshirt and blue jeans.

He also had what appeared to be an Ace bandage wrapped around his face, Kapp said.

Students hurt on bus

State troopers and Ridgefield police responded Monday after a collision resulted in several children on a school bus suffering minor injuries.

Officers were called to Hillhurst Road near Ridgefield High School at 2:53 p.m., said Ridgefield Police Department Officer Nathan Gibson.

Gibson said a student at the high school had pulled out in front of a northbound vehicle. The two vehicles crashed, but no one was hurt.

To avoid the accident, the school bus driver braked suddenly, causing several students onboard to be thrown into the back of the seat in front of them. The school bus didn’t hit the other vehicles.

Three children reported having neck pain and were taken to Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital as a precaution, Gibson said. Five other children reported pain, but were not taken to a hospital. Instead, their parents were called to the scene and determined they were OK.

A Washington State Patrol trooper inspected the bus and found that it was mechanically sound, Gibson said.