A Vancouver man was sentenced Wednesday to 7½ years in prison for carjacking a FedEx van in February 2021, prompting a police pursuit.
A Clark County Superior Court jury convicted Justin Fessel, 44, on Tuesday of first-degree robbery. The trial began Monday afternoon, and the jury deliberated for about 1½ hours before returning the guilty verdict, court records show.
Judge John Fairgrieve ordered the 90-month sentence, which was toward the high end of Fessel’s sentencing range, according to court records.
Vancouver police were dispatched at 3:37 p.m. Feb. 25, 2021, to the 2200 block of Columbia House Boulevard for a report of a carjacking. When officers arrived, they spoke with the driver of a stolen FedEx vehicle, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The driver said she was delivering a package when an unknown man, later identified as Fessel, approached her while mumbling. Fessel had a knife in his hand and stated, “I said I need your truck, I’m not kidding,” the affidavit says.
The driver told police she was in fear of being stabbed and handed over an access wristband for the van. Fessel drove off in the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
Police tracked the van to the Interstate 5 and state Highway 14 interchange, where it stopped on the shoulder of the freeway. Officers geared up with protective shields and other equipment before attempting to approach the van. They hailed the suspect, but there was no response initially, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
Shortly thereafter, the suspect was apparently on the south-side sidewalk near the Interstate 5 Bridge, wielding a knife. Police relayed that traffic should be stopped. Police radioed he was in custody shortly after 4 p.m.
Officers confiscated a hunting-style serrated knife. Fessel admitted to taking the van, according to the affidavit.
