A Snohomish man appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of participating in a home-invasion robbery in Ridgefield on Thursday in which a victim was tied up and several firearms were stolen.
Jarrod A. Wiebe, 26, faces charges at a Friday arraignment of two counts of residential burglary, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of criminal impersonation and two counts of second-degree extortion. Judge John Nichols held him Monday on $200,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Ed Dunkerly to defend him.
Three other men from the Puget Sound area appeared last Friday in court on the same allegations. Wiebe was unable to join them Friday due to illness, according to court records.
The other defendants are identified as Larry C. Kyle, 37, of North Bend; Ruben Vega, 36, of Carnation; and Regan C. Davis, 52, of Everett.
The suspects are accused of masquerading as police officers and invading the victims’ home in the 23000 block of Northwest Hillhurst Road, a mile south of Ridgefield High School.
Court records say they tied up a 45-year-old man in his living room and threatened to report him to immigration if he didn’t give them $10,000. They allegedly ordered the man’s 40-year-old wife to sit with him in the living room, then stole shotguns, rifles and pistols. Court records do not reveal whether the victim complied with the suspects’ demand for money.
No one was injured during the robbery.
The suspects were seen driving away in a white Isuzu Trooper.
A Ridgefield police officer, who was unaware of the robbery, pulled them over at 2:25 p.m. for a routine traffic stop at Northwest Carty and Hillhurst roads. Court records don’t reveal what prompted the officer to initiate the traffic stop.
After the driver stopped, all four suspects allegedly climbed out of the SUV and ran.
In the vehicle, police found multiple guns and police-style vests and body armor, court records say.
Three of the suspects were quickly apprehended and taken into custody. With one possibly armed suspect still on the loose, Ridgefield enlisted assistance from Battle Ground and La Center police and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Ridgefield High School was locked down for more than an hour as a precaution.
As police searched, they received the report of the nearby home-invasion robbery, and the case began to come together.
A police dog ultimately tracked down the fourth suspect, identified as Vega, sometime before 3:45 p.m.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said on Friday that the four suspects targeted the couple and planned the robbery and extortion. He didn’t elaborate on how they may have known the victims and where the victims lived.
