A Vancouver man made his first appearance in court Wednesday on suspicion of shooting a man during an alleged marijuana robbery.
Chuck Slanaker, 30, who was shot multiple times during the incident, appeared before Clark County Superior Court Judge Diane Woolard in a wheelchair. The defendant, who had a breathing tube and was escorted by a nurse, was released from the hospital Tuesday.
The judge set bail at $500,000. Slanaker is being held on suspicion of first-degree assault with a weapon enhancement, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm.
“It appears Mr. Slanaker isn’t going anywhere,” Woolard said.
Arraignment was set for Nov. 18 and attorney Greg Schile was appointed to represent Slanaker.
Slanaker was allegedly involved in a shootout with Rickie Landacre, 58, very early on the morning of Nov. 3 at Landacre’s home at 1416 N.E. 131st Ave. in the Fircrest neighborhood. Landacre told police that he met Sharita Martin and two other women at a bar in Portland and brought them back to his house earlier in the evening. According to court documents, Landacre and Martin discussed him paying her for sex.
At the house, police said Martin called Slanaker, her boyfriend, and told him that Landacre had marijuana plants in his house, triggering an alleged plan to rob him. Martin and one of her friends then left, police said.
Later, “Martin drives Slanaker to Landacre’s house,” Vancouver police Detective John Ringo wrote in a probable cause affidavit. “Martin explains that she knows that Slanaker is going to rob Landacre, but says she does not want anything to do with the robbery.”
Shortly after 4 a.m., Slanaker came to the door displaying a gun and allegedly pistol-whipped Landacre before shooting him multiple times, according to court documents. Landacre grabbed a nearby handgun and fired back, hitting Slanaker multiple times. Slanaker’s injuries were described as life-threatening at the time.
During the police investigation, detectives arrested Martin, 24, on suspicion of first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary in the case. She was being held on $250,000 bail and is to appear in court Nov. 18.
A check of four major hospitals in the Vancouver-Portland area indicated that Landacre was not a patient at any of them. A deputy prosecutor said it wasn’t immediately known what, if any, charges he could face.
