A man was sentenced to nearly two years in prison Wednesday after ramming a car in June at a gas station off Interstate 5 in Ridgefield.
Joseph Allen Beard, 46, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree malicious mischief, possession of methamphetamine and hit-and-run. His plea came after a deal with the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The incident took place around 9:45 p.m. at the Z-Mart gas station on Northeast 219th Street. Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded to calls that a man had rammed into cars and damaged a gas pump.
Three cars — a Chrysler Town & Country minivan, Acura TL sedan and Dodge Dakota pickup — were found damaged at the scene, according to a probable cause affidavit. The suspect was described as a bald white man in his 30s who wasn’t wearing a shirt, the affidavit said.
The owner of the pickup, Cathleen Tenorio, reported that when she pulled into the gas pumps, Beard started yelling at her before hurling a fuel pump hose toward the nearby building, according to the affidavit. Tenorio stopped the truck ahead of the pumps to avoid the man, but he entered the van and accelerated toward her, striking the rear driver’s side and causing it to spin clockwise, the affidavit said. Beard then reversed the van, accelerated again and struck the driver’s door, damaging it to the point where it could not be opened.
After driving out of the parking lot without headlights on, Beard drove over a grassy area, jumped a curb and popped a tire, according to the affidavit. The van, stopped in the middle of Northeast 219th Street, was then struck by the sedan, the affidavit said.
When deputies arrived, Beard had already run from the scene, according to the affidavit. Deputies later found him and, after some resistance, arrested Beard less than a mile away, the affidavit said.
“They later advised it appeared Beard was under the influence and/or experiencing some sort of drug-induced psychosis,” the affidavit reads.
Beard was sedated by medical personnel and taken to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, according to the affidavit. Tenorio declined medical treatment and identified Beard as the man who crashed into her truck, the affidavit said.
Tenorio did not offer a victim impact statement at Wednesday’s hearing.
The damage from the scene was estimated at more than $750, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeff McCarty said. Beard’s driver’s license was revoked as part of his sentence.
Beard apologized for the incident and added that he’s had persistent issues due to past mental, physical and sexual abuse.
“This is no excuse for what happened,” Beard wrote in a letter read aloud Wednesday by attorney Neil Anderson of Vancouver Defenders. “I take full responsibility for my actions.”
