A transient involved in a Christmas Eve shootout with a homeowner near Amboy was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison on Tuesday.
Brandon March, 32, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to second-degree attempted murder and first-degree attempted theft. March initially faced first-degree attempted murder, robbery, burglary and attempted theft charges. In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to dismiss and downgrade some of the charges.
An accomplice, Brian J. Slay, 32, of Woodland, also took a plea deal and was sentenced in May to six years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to residential burglary and first-degree attempted theft.
The duo broke into a home in the 3700 block of Northeast 216th Avenue about 1:45 p.m. Dec. 24, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
The resident, Thomas Schenk, arrived home and found his garage unlocked and house ransacked. He drew his concealed handgun and walked through his house, where he found a man, later identified as March, loading a bag with his belongings, court records said.
Schenk reportedly confronted March, who raised his hands and said, “Don’t shoot,” multiple times. He then ran to a back bedroom and reappeared from behind a bookcase holding a handgun. The men subsequently fired at each other twice, according to court documents. No one was injured.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Schenk’s wife, Anne, read a statement to the court.
“There’s nothing in our house worth killing you or dying over,” she said. “You’re only alive because of a well-placed bookcase.”
She said her family had to postpone Christmas because it looked like a bomb had gone off in their house.
“Save your breath of an apology. Everyone here knows it’s required and at best, insincere. … You are only sorry you got caught,” she told a tearful March. “You have been in prison before, so you know the drill. Enjoy your three hots and a cot.”
Schenk also provided a statement but declined to read it. Judge Gregory Gonzales read it aloud for the record.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said March has a criminal history that dates to at least 2001. His most recent conviction was in 2013, he said.
March’s attorney, Sean Downs, told Gonzales that his client had wanted to take responsibility for his actions since he was arraigned. March apparently insisted on offering the prosecution at least 15 years in prison, Downs said.
When asked if March wanted to address the court, he said he didn’t have an apology to offer.
“I will never apologize for my actions again until I learn how to fix them,” he said. “Hopefully, this time it will be different.”
Gonzales agreed to follow the attorneys’ sentencing recommendation of 200 months in prison and 36 months of community custody. March will also likely have to pay restitution. Gonzales ordered he not have contact with the victims or Slay. He was given credit for 177 days in custody.
“I don’t know how you will pull yourself out of this hole. It’s a deep hole, it’s a big hole. You’ve been digging this hole for the last 15 years,” Gonzales told March. “You need to face reality and do whatever it takes to get yourself out of that hole.”
