The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Arraignment for the suspected River Rat robber was postponed until the end of next month to give the suspect’s attorney ample time to prepare his case.

Alexey Perez-Hernandez of Bonney Lake, speaking through a Spanish interpreter Tuesday morning, waived his right to a speedy arraignment and trial.

Clark County Superior Court Judge Diane Woolard set arraignment for Jan. 20.

At that time, Perez-Hernandez, 32, through his attorney, Lee Baker, will enter a plea to five counts of first-degree robbery relating to the alleged holdups of three cash advance stores and two banks in Vancouver.

They include Aug. 10 and Aug. 25 robberies at Advance America Cash Advance, 13503 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., and a Sept. 8 holdup at The Cash Store, 1108 N.E. 78th St.

The bank robberies occurred Aug. 11 at Key Bank, 13215 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., and Sept. 24 at Chase Bank, 13620 N.E. 84th St.

Perez-Hernandez, believed to be responsible for 18 robberies in Washington and Oregon, was arrested in Pierce County Oct. 9 after a lengthy multiple-agency investigation. He was transported here this month and made his first court appearance Dec. 17.

His Pierce County case has yet to be resolved, but Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Tony Golik said Perez-Hernandez was transported here to get the ball rolling locally because most of the evidence against him came from Clark County.

“A lot of the cases originated here in Clark County,” Golik said.

Charges in Pierce and King counties, and in Multnomah County, Ore., are pending. Golik said he’s working closely with prosecutors in those jurisdictions to decide how to proceed. Prosecutors haven’t decided whether Perez-Hernandez’s Clark County charges would be resolved before litigation in the other counties begins.

He is now being held in Clark County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Perez-Hernandez’s alleged henchman, Travis Lee Oles, will go to trial Feb. 22 in Clark County Superior Court on robbery charges.

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