A teen arrested last October in connection with an armed robbery was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to a lesser assault charge.
Alejandro Paz Espinoza, 19, had pleaded guilty in July in Clark County Superior Court to third-degree assault for his part in the armed robbery.
According to court records, Vancouver police were dispatched about 10 p.m. Oct. 30, 2017, to the 13000 block of Northeast Sixth Street after someone reportedly brandished a weapon. Two men walked up to someone sitting in a car, drew a gun on him and ordered him to exit the vehicle. They then stole some items from the victim.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said Wednesday the stolen items included a Seattle Seahawks beanie, cellphone and gold chain.
One of the suspects punched the victim in the face, according to court records.
Soon after, officers stopped the suspects in their vehicle and arrested Paz Espinoza and three others: Jesus Prado, 37, Tommy Lee Edwards Davis Jr., 21, and Josiah Christopher Lindsey, 18.
Prado was sentenced in February to 3½ years in prison for his part in the robbery. Davis was sentenced in August to six months in jail.
Lindsey previously pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery with firearm enhancements and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in Clark County Juvenile Court. He was committed to a juvenile facility until his 21st birthday.
Paz Espinoza’s charges were reduced to third-degree assault as part of a plea agreement, which included a recommended exceptional sentence of 48 months.
Judge Gregory Gonzales accepted the recommended sentence.
