Update: Another suspect, Brandon March, has been arrested in connection with this incident. He made a first court appearance Monday, Jan. 5.
Edited version of original story:
A suspect appeared in court Monday on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the alleged attempt to shoot a homeowner who interrupted a burglary inside his Amboy home. No one was injured in the confrontation.
Brian J. Slay, 32, of Woodland is accused of being an accomplice in connection with a burglary of a home in the 37000 block of Northeast 216th Avenue in Amboy on Christmas Eve. Homeowner Thomas Schenk traded fire with a suspect.
Judge Gregory Gonzales held Slay in the Clark County Jail on Monday in lieu of $500,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Louis Byrd Jr. to defend him. Slay is scheduled to be arraigned in Clark County Superior Court on Jan. 9 on charges of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Schenk, a retired U.S. Customs senior special agent, returned to the residence at 1:45 p.m. and noticed that the garage door was unlocked. Inside the house, it appeared as if the home had been ransacked. Schenk drew his concealed handgun from its holster and walked through the kitchen to the living room.
As he turned the corner, he saw a stranger loading a bag with Schenk’s belongings, according to a probable cause affidavit by Clark County sheriff’s Detective Scott Gilberti.
“Schenk confronted the subject, who responded by raising his hands and saying ‘don’t shoot’ multiple times,” Gilberti wrote. The suspect sprinted to the back bedroom. He then reappeared from behind a bookcase holding a handgun, Gilberti wrote. He commanded Schenk to drop his weapon, but Schenk refused to do so.
The prowler responded by firing at Schenk, according to Gilberti. The bullet struck a wall directly behind Schenk. Schenk returned fire, believing his life was in danger, Gilberti wrote. After exchanging gunfire with the suspect again, Schenk backed out of the house and took cover behind a woodpile to call 911.
Sheriff’s deputies responded and used a police dog to search for the suspect. During the search, deputies found a knife and a Ford F-150 pickup truck believed to belong to the suspect. Neighbors said they saw a man running from the residence about 15 minutes before the K-9 was deployed. Deputies seized the truck and obtained a warrant to search it on Friday. Inside the truck, investigators say they found an identification card belonging to Slay and then traced the truck to Valerie Trimmer, who said she had loaned the vehicle to her daughter, Rachelle Ward, who is Slay’s girlfriend, Gilberti wrote.
Ward was arrested Sunday on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance. She also appeared in Superior Court on Monday and was held in lieu of $50,000 bail. She is accused of concealing the identity of a second suspect in the burglary from investigators. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Jan. 9.
Inside the house, investigators found bullet holes in the living room’s south wall and a bottle of Snapple, which didn’t belong to the homeowners and was gathered as evidence.
Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Barrar said Slay has an extensive criminal history, including forgery, theft, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and failure to appear in court.
