Courts & Crime

Vancouver police Patrol Sgt. Zachary Ripp, center, works with colleagues while responding to a call of a dead person at a homeless encampment Thursday afternoon near Hazel Dell. Five officers responded to the call, which combined with another call at the same time, tied up all the officers working on the west side of the city.

Vancouver police stretched thin as officers pulled off patrol to respond to growing number of calls

April 5, 2024, 6:04am Clark County News Subscriber Exclusive

At about noon Thursday, Vancouver police received a call about a dead person in a homeless encampment between Highway 99 and Interstate 5 near Hazel Dell. Five officers responded to investigate the circumstances of the person’s death, take photographs of the scene and coordinate the medical examiner’s response. Read story

A 22-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Andresen Road on Saturday.

22-year-old man in fatal car crash Saturday on Andresen identified

April 3, 2024, 6:51pm Clark County News

The 22-year-old man who died Saturday in a single-vehicle crash has been identified as Victor Celedonio Montes, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. His place of residence is unknown. Read story

Julio Cesar Segura appears in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of a slew of charges in connection with the death of off-duty Vancouver police Officer Donald Sahota. On Wednesday, a judge called his case ready for trial to begin May 6.

Judge declines request in Segura trial; attorneys sought to prove deputy to blame for Officer Sahota’s slaying

April 3, 2024, 6:38pm Clark County News

A judge ruled Wednesday Julio Segura’s defense team can’t question witnesses in his upcoming murder trial about the specifics of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office’s 2020 fatal shooting of Kevin Peterson Jr. Read story

Vancouver man suspected of murder in bow and arrow slaying appears in court

April 3, 2024, 6:32pm Clark County News

A judge Wednesday set bail at $2 million for a Vancouver man accused of fatally shooting another man with a bow and arrow during a fight in the driveway of a Minnehaha residence. Read story

A motorist drives past Limitless America, a firearm retailer in Washougal in June 2020.

Two arrested in Washougal gun store theft

April 2, 2024, 7:10pm Clark County News

Two men are accused of crashing a reportedly stolen car into a Washougal gun store Saturday and making off with a backpack full of guns. Read story

Hockinson man suspected in murder-for-hire plot remains in jail without bail

James Rummell, 49, appears Friday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree murder. He’s accused of hiring a friend to kill his wife.

A Hockinson man suspected of hiring a former cellmate to kill his wife remains held without bail due to concerns that his prior convictions in Oregon — for attempted arson and kidnapping — make him a danger to the community. Read story

California man gets five years in prison for complex retail theft scheme that included Vancouver

A California man was sentenced to five years in federal prison Friday for organizing a retail theft scheme that targeted home improvement stores across the country, including in Vancouver, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Read story