Vancouver man appears in court on second-degree rape

UPDATE: The case against Jose Torres Urbina was dismissed May 2, 2019, without prejudice, meaning it could be re-filed at a later date, because further investigation was necessary, according to records filed in Clark County Superior Court.

A Vancouver man who is accused of ambushing a female neighbor and raping her in a nearby wooded area is being held on $100,000 bail, court records show.

Jose Torres Urbina, 58, made a first appearance Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court on an allegation of second-degree rape. He will be arraigned Nov. 14.

Vancouver police responded Aug. 19 to a local hospital to investigate a reported rape. The victim said that she was raped Aug. 15 by an unknown man near the intersection of Columbia House Boulevard and South Blandford Drive and East Fifth Street, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The woman said she was walking on the side of the road when someone grabbed her from behind and threw her into a grove of nearby trees. She was unable to see the assailant as he approached her, she said. The victim tried to fight off the assailant by hitting him with her purse, she said, but he pushed her down, the affidavit states.

During the assault, the assailant mentioned the woman’s roommate by name, leading her to believe he knew her. Afterward, he reportedly told her he’d be back for her and then fled into the woods, court records say.

Then on Sept. 7, police received a call from the 4700 block of East Evergreen Boulevard. The victim and her roommate were driving home when a neighbor, identified as Torres Urbina, called out greetings to the roommate. The victim instantly became nauseous, she said, but made eye contact with Torres Urbina, who smiled at her. She said she recognized his voice as belonging to her attacker, and she fled.

She hid behind her residence, where she became physically ill, according to court documents.

Earlier this month, DNA found on the woman’s clothing from the rape was found to match DNA from a California man named Jose Reyes-Guerra. Authorities believe Reyes-Guerra is an alias for Torres Urbina, the affidavit states. He was subsequently arrested.