The wife of a Vancouver man accused of bank robbery, carjacking and hit-and-run in a wild chase last week is now seeking a divorce and a restraining order against him.
Aimee Woodall, wife of Brent J. Woodall, said in documents filed Monday in Clark County Superior Court that her husband has a “recent history of mental health issues” and that his behavior has been “erratic and dangerous.”
In the petition for a restraining order, Aimee Woodall said she was not aware of her husband’s alleged crime spree June 20 before seeing the story on news stations that afternoon. She said it “came out of nowhere.”
“It was all over the news that day, and I was notified when police came to my house,” she wrote.
Aimee Woodall added that, “since last week, I have learned that the respondent may have been involved in other suspicious activity.” She did not elaborate.
Brent Woodall, who turned 29 on the day of the alleged crime spree, remains in the Multnomah County Jail.
The case began the afternoon of June 20, when Brent Woodall allegedly robbed Riverview Community Bank in Hazel Dell. Bank employees were able to provide a description of the robbery suspect’s vehicle, and police spotted it a few minutes later on Northeast 88th Avenue, setting off a 90-minute chase that looped through the county and ended in Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood.
Police lost sight of the fleeing vehicle on Highway 14 partway through the chase, minutes before a Bank of America on Auto Mall Drive was robbed by a suspect matching Woodall’s description. Officers later spotted the vehicle heading toward Woodall’s home in Salmon Creek, and the chase was on again.
After officers called off the pursuit in the interest of public safety, Woodall allegedly carjacked a Ford Focus in Vancouver and fled on I-5 into North Portland. He was tracked by a television news helicopter and captured by Portland police after being pinned between a patrol car and a minivan.
Woodall is charged in Multnomah County with second-degree robbery and attempt to elude police relating to his alleged crimes in Portland. Clark County prosecutors have issued a warrant, charging Woodall with seven felonies.
Clark County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Camara Banfield said that a decision on when Woodall will be extradited to Clark County should be reached this week. She said she is discussing with Multnomah County prosecutors which jurisdiction should try Woodall first.
A hearing on the restraining order was scheduled for July 11 at the Clark County Family Law Annex. The hearing allows Brent Woodall to make objections, if any, to the restraining order.
Aimee Woodall’s attorney, Deanna Rusch, said it’s her understanding that Brent Woodall is allowed to make arrangements with jail staff to appear at the hearing even if he’s in still in custody.
A former bodybuilder and personal trainer, Brent Woodall met Aimee Woodall at L.A. Fitness, according to a close friend. They married on Aug. 18, 2008, according to the petition for divorce.
Sources who know the family have said the couple was having financial trouble, and the mortgage to the family’s North Salmon Creek house was underwater. However, the divorce papers do not note a debt amount, only stating the two have “debts and liabilities.”
Aimee Woodall, in the restraining order, requests that Brent Woodall not be allowed to come within 100 yards of her or her three children from a previous marriage.
Laura McVicker: www.twitter.com/col_courts; www.facebook.com/reportermcvicker; laura.mcvicker@columbian.com; 360-735-4516.
