Crime spree suspect pleads not guilty to 7 charges
Crime spree suspect Brent J. Woodall, pictured at right earlier this month at his first appearance in Clark County Superior Court, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to seven charges.
Originally published July 25, 2012 at 11:13 a.m., updated July 25, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.
A former bodybuilder accused of robbing two banks in a two-state crime spree last month pleaded not guilty Wednesday to seven charges.
Brent J. Woodall, 29, of Vancouver was arraigned in Clark County Superior Court on three counts of first-degree robbery, and one count each of first-degree burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, attempt to elude a police vehicle and hit-and-run injury.
Judge Rich Melnick set a tentative trial date for Sept. 17. Woodall remains in the Clark County Jail on $1 million bail.
According to prosecutors, the crime spree began the afternoon of June 20, when Woodall allegedly robbed the Riverview Community Bank in Hazel Dell and fled, triggering a chase that ensued through neighborhoods east of the bank before emerging onto Highway 99, Interstate 5 and then Highway 14.
When authorities lost sight of him, Woodall allegedly robbed a Bank of America on Auto Mall Drive. As he continued to flee police, Woodall hit a vehicle and kept going, police said.
A few minutes later, police said, Woodall tried to carjack a vehicle at a convenience store and then successfully carjacked a Ford Focus from a man near downtown Vancouver and drove south on I-5 into Portland, with officers once again in pursuit.
Woodall was captured by the Portland Police Bureau in the St. Johns area of North Portland after being pinned between a minivan and a police cruiser.
According to court documents, Woodall describes himself as a self-employed personal trainer, but was currently not working. He also reported “a heroin problem,” the documents said.
He lived with his wife in a two-story, 3,550-square-foot house with her three children from a previous marriage. The house had been on the market as a short sale for about a year before the listing expired in September.
Court documents indicate the Woodalls owe $350,000 on the home, which is estimated to be worth $320,000.
Woodall’s wife, Aimee, is seeking a divorce and restraining order against him. She said in court papers that her husband has a “recent history of mental health issues.”
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