On the same day an 18-year-old man appeared in court for his alleged involvement in a robbery and kidnapping connected to the abduction of a 4-year-old girl, Vancouver police arrested two other teenagers believed to be involved.
Francisco Javier Hernandez-Reyes, 18, and a 15-year-old boy were arrested Monday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree kidnapping and one count of first-degree robbery. Reyes was booked into the Clark County Jail, while the boy, whose name was not released, is being held at the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center.
That morning, Erick Garcia-Valdovinos, who was arrested Sunday, appeared in Clark County Superior Court to face the same allegations.
Vancouver police say that Garcia-Valdovinos took part in a man’s abduction — the victim was tied to a chair and his car was stolen — and the abduction of 4-year-old Aranza Ochoa-Lopez.
The girl, who’s been in foster care since 2017 when she was removed from her home, was reportedly taken by her mother, Esmeralda Lopez-Lopez on Thursday morning during a supervised visit at Vancouver Mall.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, a passer-by located Jose Orellana-Gomez bound in duct tape in the Bagley Downs neighborhood sometime on Thursday.
Orellana-Gomez told police that an acquaintance, Lopez-Lopez, invited him to her apartment because she needed help with a ride to Centralia. He spent about 20 minutes in the apartment with Lopez-Lopez before three men in masks carrying knives showed up, according to the affidavit.
“They pushed him down, bound him in duct tape and carried him to a bedroom where they taped him to an office chair,” the affidavit says.
The assailants told Orellana-Gomez that they were taking his car and demanded his credit card and PIN. Orellana-Gomez was tied up for about 12 hours before he managed to free himself and find help, according to the affidavit.
While officers were searching the apartment, a Child Protective Services worker told them that Lopez-Lopez had fled with her child during a supervised visit that same day. Detectives investigated further and found Lopez-Lopez was likely on her way to Mexico with her daughter, according to police.
On Saturday, investigators confirmed Lopez-Lopez, her daughter, and a teenage girl seen with Lopez-Lopez at the mall were spotted driving Orellana-Gomez’s red Chevrolet Cobalt, with Washington license plate BLK1552.
California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert once the vehicle Lopez-Lopez was driving was identified.
Police said Sunday evening authorities had not yet located Lopez-Lopez or her daughter, and the investigation was ongoing. The police asked anyone who sees Lopez-Lopez to not approach her and to call 911. She was last seen wearing a red and white striped soccer jersey, police said.
The affidavit does not detail how police identified and located Garcia-Valdovinos. It says that he told police he was asked by Lopez-Lopez to participate in the kidnapping with three other males. He said he was aware she intended to kidnap her daughter from Child Protective Services and steal Orellana-Gomez’s car, according to the affidavit.
Garcia-Valdovinos said he guarded Orellana-Gomez during the night and assisted in taking him to the bathroom. He and another suspect also purchased a roll of duct tape, a car seat for the trip to Mexico and clothing to dress Lopez-Lopez’s daughter as a boy, according to the affidavit.
Garcia-Valdovinos’ hearing was prolonged Monday morning due to his need for a Spanish interpreter.
Judge Suzan Clark granted the prosecution’s bail request of $200,000. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for Nov. 9.
Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop contributed to this report.
