Man sentenced to prison in Clark County, Portland robberies

A robber who struck multiple times in Clark County and Portland has been sentenced to serve 60 months in prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office in Multnomah County, Ore.

JJ Ben, 28, will serve concurrent sentences in both Oregon and Washington after pleading guilty to charges including robbery with a firearm and felony attempt to elude police officers.

The convictions stem from a series of Jan. 11 robberies that began in Clark County. In all cases, the victims were accosted near their parked vehicles.

Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at 6:54 a.m. to the parking lot of the SeaMar clinic, 4508 N.E. 20th Ave., for a report of an attempted armed robbery. Another attempt was made at 7:05 a.m. across the street at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, 2211 N.E. 139th St., according to Columbian archives.

Police spotted the robber’s vehicle, a red Jeep Patriot, and pursued it southbound on Interstate 5 before losing it in traffic.

Portland police were already looking for the Patriot when, about 90 minutes later, they were summoned to a robbery in the area of Northeast Martin Luther King Boulevard and Mason Street. A woman reported she was walking to her car when a man drove up and accosted her with a handgun, then stole her wallet and smart phone.

The woman was able to use the “Find my phone” feature and relayed its location to police, who soon located the red Patriot. After a pursuit on city streets at speeds of 50 to 60 mph, the Patriot crashed into another vehicle, and Ben was arrested.