A Portland woman accused of trying to rob two gas stations Friday in east Vancouver has a history of mental health and drug problems, according to court records.
Prosecutors say Catrina M. Jackson, 36, attempted to rob two different gas stations within 25 minutes Friday.
A kitchen worker at the site of the second robbery reportedly apprehended her and held her down until Vancouver police arrived on scene.
She appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Monday on suspicion of two counts of second-degree robbery.
Judge Scott Collier held Jackson in lieu of $30,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Shon Bogar to defend her. She was still listed as being in custody in the Clark County Jail on Tuesday afternoon. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Aug. 29.
The first robbery attempt was reported at 4:36 p.m. at Snappy’s Gas and Groceries, 10512 S.E. Mill Plain Boulevard. Jackson allegedly entered the store and told the clerk that she had a gun in her waistband.
She ordered the clerk to give her “everything in the register,” according to the affidavit. The clerk refused, and Jackson fled the scene, court records say. The robbery was recorded by a surveillance camera.
At 5:02 p.m., Jackson allegedly walked into a Stop N Shop Market Shell Station, 4911 N.E. 112th Ave., which is near the Washington State Patrol district headquarters.
She told the clerk that she had a gun and that, “it was not a joke, and to give her all the money,” court documents say.
The clerk refused to comply and called 911. When he dialed the number, Jackson allegedly ran out the door. A kitchen worker at the gas station, Ernest Coffelt Jr., who witnessed the attempted robbery, pursued Jackson out of the store, knocked her to the ground and held her down until Vancouver police arrived, court records say.
When police officers arrested her, they said they found a large barbecue grill scrubber on her.
In a pretrial release form, she claimed she has schizophrenia. Court records indicate she has a history of mental health problems and opiate and methamphetamine use.
She lives with her mother and daughter in Portland.
