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Vancouver man accused of soliciting assault appears in court

Documents: Intended victims tied to stalking case

By Laura McVicker
Published: January 3, 2011, 12:00am

Accused of plotting to seriously hurt three women who work at the Westfield Vancouver Mall, a “mall walker” is now being held in jail on $300,000 bail.

Alan D. Dietchweiler allegedly tried to hire an assailant to assault the women, who had earlier been entangled in a stalking and harassment claim against Dietchweiler.

Dietchweiler, 55, of Vancouver made his first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree assault and two counts of solicitation to commit second-degree assault. All counts are felonies.

Clark County Superior Court Judge John Nichols set the bail and scheduled arraignment for Jan. 11.

Dietchweiler allegedly tried to hire an assailant to seriously injure two young women whom he was charged with stalking and harassing last year, and another woman who was a witness in the investigation, according to court documents. He also allegedly asked the assailant to injure the store manager at Journey’s Shoes at the mall.

The case began in January 2010 as part of a stalking and harassment investigation.

Here’s how it unfolded, according to court documents:

o Vancouver police officers received a report that Dietchweiler was stalking a woman in her 20s, Ashley Dodd, who worked at the Journey’s Shoes store. A mall walker, he would pass by to say “hello” to her on a daily basis last winter.

He later got into an altercation with one of her co-workers, Lea Vocak, calling her a derogatory term, and was ordered from the premises, according to court documents.

o He then started spreading rumors about Dodd throughout the mall, but he later approached her in the parking lot, giving her flowers and asking to be friends. She refused.

Dodd told investigators that Dietchweiler would drive by her house, including one night in which he passed by three times.

o Then, police received a report last winter that Dietchweiler allegedly keyed Vocak’s car in the parking lot at the mall.

o In March, Dietchweiler was arrested on suspicion of malicious mischief and stalking in connection to the case.

o In October, officers received a call from the maintenance manager of an apartment complex where Dietchweiler lived, reporting that Dietchweiler had asked him to severely beat several people. They included Dodd, Vocak and Dodd’s manager, Stefan Kinrade.

“Dietchweiler told (him) that he needed to make three people disappear and was looking for someone to do the work,” according to a probable cause affidavit. He said he “needed someone to break every bone in these people’s bodies and make their faces unrecognizable.”

Dietchweiler allegedly told the man he was willing to pay $5,000 cash for each person to be beaten and didn’t care if they were killed in the process.

In a later meeting, the maintenance manager told Dietchweiler he had found a hit man that would do the dirty work. Asked his motive for the attack, Dietchweiler said they “really just pissed him off and cost him money,” according to the affidavit.

Authorities say he initially also requested that Vancouver Assistant City Attorney Darren DeFrance be assaulted, who is prosecuting the stalking case, but later backed out of that request. He did, however, request the assault of an employee of the Motherhood Maternity store at the mall, Svetlana Vanags, a witness in the stalking and harassment case.

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According to court documents, Dietchweiler wanted the attacks to happen this week, when he would be under house arrest as part of one of his District Court cases. He said this would be a good alibi.

Instead, he was arrested Saturday afternoon after allegedly paying the maintenance manager in cash for the assaults, constituting a “substantial step” to commit the crimes, according to police.

His stalking and harassment cases are not yet resolved. He has a review hearing today in Clark County District Court.

Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.

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