A transient man who allegedly followed a student into Columbia River High School and entered her classroom while smoking a cigarette Wednesday refused defense counsel during his first court appearance Thursday.
Pini Nou, 34, appeared in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespass, resisting arrest and disturbing school activities stemming from the Wednesday incident.
Nou declined a court-appointed defense attorney, saying he knows his rights. He also refused the help of a Chuukese interpreter, and said he can “speak English just fine.”
During his appearance, Nou often turned to the courtroom gallery and smiled or made faces at media’s cameras.
The prosecution said Nou “possibly” suffers from mental health problems but didn’t provide specifics.
Nou followed an 18-year-old female student from a public bus stop into the Hazel Dell school at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. The student said she had noticed Nou smoking a cigarette across from the school on Northwest 99th Street. She said she didn’t think he would follow her, so she continued to class, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
However, a few minutes later, Nou entered the same classroom, the affidavit said. The student did not know Nou, and he did not check in at the front office.
Vancouver Public Schools spokeswoman Pat Nuzzo said it appeared the man entered the school through a door that opened from a classroom to the outside.
Jois Brownstein, the teacher in the classroom, told The Columbian that the student attends Running Start, a program that allows students to earn college credit while completing their high school education.
Once inside Brownstein’s classroom, Nou circled around the student’s desk and “chuckled at her,” court records said. Brownstein said it seemed like he may have been experiencing a mental health problem.
“I looked at him, because I’m a little surprised because someone’s smoking a cigarette in my classroom,” she said in the interview.
Brownstein tried to address Nou, she said, after which he gave a little laugh, then left.
“I locked my door and called security and that was it,” she said, adding that he was in the room for less than a minute.
Nou ran from security, pulled a ski mask over his face and became confrontational with security staff, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
He ran from the school into a neighborhood to the southeast. Deputies found him in the backyard of a house in the 400 block of Northwest 98th Street. The sheriff’s office said Nou was combative, and one deputy used a stun gun on him during the struggle.
Paramedics treated Nou, and he was taken to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center for minor injuries.
On Thursday, the prosecution said Nou’s criminal history dates back to about 1995 and includes convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm, fourth-degree assault, forgery, theft, possession of stolen property and reckless driving.
Judge Scott Collier set Nou’s bail at $30,000. He will be arraigned March 17. Nou is not to return to the high school.
