A registered sex offender accused of attempting to kidnap a 14-year-old girl in Vancouver’s Rose Village neighborhood made a first court appearance Monday.
Jonathan M. Brumfiel, 31, of Vancouver appeared in custody in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree attempted kidnapping, luring a child, fourth-degree assault and violating conditions of release.
Judge John Fairgrieve set bail at $200,000, and arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 9, according to court records.
Vancouver police responded about 4:15 p.m. Friday to the Park Central Apartments, 2600 T St., for a report of an attempted kidnapping. The victim told police she was sitting with friends in a grassy area along the east side of the property when they were approached by a white male around 30 years old, 6 feet tall, and between 185 and 200 pounds, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The man asked the girls if they wanted to smoke marijuana and showed them three jars of the drug. When the victim said she wanted to do so, the man directed her and another girl to his white Ford F-250, the affidavit said.
While the victim was seated in the front passenger’s seat, the man said, “I wanna do more than just smoke” before placing his hand on her thigh. The girl said, “I’m only 14. I’m not into that” before the man replied, “You might change your mind,” according to the affidavit.
“Like the way he said it, and the way he touched my thigh, I knew he wanted sex,” the girl told police.
The two girls exited the truck and ran, according to the affidavit. “I was running for my life,” the victim told police.
As the victim ran north on T Street, the man caught up with her and grabbed her. The girl screamed, “Somebody get my dad,” and “Get off me” multiple times, the affidavit said. The man eventually let her go and fled south to a nearby apartment complex.
About 15 minutes later, the man ran back to his truck. A woman whose car was parked directly behind it told police she witnessed the incident with the teenager, according to the affidavit. As the man sped away and the woman attempted to leave, the truck struck her car, according to a separate affidavit.
Police used a photo of the truck’s license plate to track it and, eventually, Brumfiel to his residence. Brumfiel matched the description given by the victim and witnesses, the affidavit said.
Between the victim and four witnesses, three were able to positively identify him, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with police following his arrest, Brumfiel said he communicated with two women on the Meet Me app who said they were 19 and 18 years old. He said he met the girls in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and they appeared to look younger, but he did not attempt to verify their age, the affidavit said.
“He stated the ‘red flags’ were ignored because he believed he was going to have sex with two females,” the affidavit reads.
Brumfiel was previously convicted of first-degree rape of a child, according to court records. He said he knew he was prohibited from contacting minors and should have verified the ages. He also said the girl stole marijuana from him, which led him to chase and grab her, the affidavit states.
Brumfiel said he hid in a dumpster in the nearby complex for 10 to 15 minutes, and then fled in his truck to “escape from a threatening male,” according to separate affidavits.
