DNA leads to second arrest in 2010 stabbing

A Yakima County man was booked into Clark County jail Tuesday for allegedly being an accomplice in a 2010 stabbing at a gas station in Vancouver. Police traced DNA evidence collected at the crime scene to Gilberto Martinez, 29, who was arrested in Big Rapids, Mich., and extradited to Clark County on a first-degree assault charge.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in court, Jason L. Stricker, 32, was involved in a fight with a group of people late Oct. 23, 2010, in the parking lot of Chevron, 12100 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd. A Chevron employee who called 911 broke up the fight.

Stricker returned to his truck and was sitting in the passenger seat when somebody stabbed him in the chest. He was taken to a hospital with a 1 cm wound.

Investigators collected a sweatshirt and baseball hat from the crime scene for DNA processing. DNA from a cigarette butt in the sweatshirt matched records for Ashley R. Beckley, who identified the sweatshirt as hers and the hat as belonging to Martinez.

She identified two suspects, Martinez and Byron Chant, 34. Chant, she said, returned to a vehicle after the fight, grabbed the knife and went to Stricker’s vehicle. Later, Beckley said, Chant told her that he had “started stabbing that fool” and that Martinez had his back, according to the affidavit.

The National DNA Index System matched the DNA in the hat to Martinez.

Police had probable cause to arrest Martinez for allegedly being Chant’s accomplish in the stabbing. He’s being housed in the Clark County Jail on $150,000 bail with his next court appearance scheduled for Wednesday.

Chant appeared in court in August and is still housed at the Clark County Jail. His trial is scheduled for Dec. 2.