A Vancouver man with a long history of drug abuse was sentenced Monday to 23 years in prison for his role in a robbery and shooting at an apartment complex.
On Thursday, a Clark County jury convicted Andrew A. Wright of first-degree robbery and first-degree assault, both class A felonies. The 38-year-old was among three men who went to the Red Haven Apartments, 1304 N.E. 88th St., the night of Jan. 21 to confront the 34-year-old victim about a drug debt.
The confrontation turned violent when co-defendant Armanda Castillo-Munoz allegedly pistol-whipped the man and fired his gun, shooting the man’s hand several times. A friend drove the victim to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center for treatment of lacerations to his head and a wounded finger.
Wright was convicted of being an accomplice.
Defense attorney Suzan Clark said the evidence presented at trial did not show her client took an active part in the assault or shooting.
“I think the evidence shows, at best, he was in over his head in a debt collection,” Clark said.
She asked for a sentence at the low end of the standard sentencing range, 20 years in prison.
Seeking a sentence at the high end of the range, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Alan Harvey pointed out Wright’s extensive criminal history tied to his methamphetamine addiction.
“The defendant has had a significant number of contacts with law enforcement since the 1980s,” Harvey said.
Clark County Superior Court Judge Barbara Johnson considered Wright’s lengthy criminal past in deciding on the midpoint of the sentencing range. While the defense attorney told the judge that all of Wright’s prior convictions weren’t violent, Johnson pointed out that Wright had started committing crimes before he turned 18.
“This is, unfortunately, where it’s ended up,” Johnson said.
Wright’s co-defendant, Nathan Gadberry, also charged as an accomplice, was acquitted by a different jury last month. The third co-defendant, Castillo-Munoz, goes to trial June 20.
Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.
