In an unusual move, a judge set bail at $10 million for a Vancouver man accused of pointing a gun at a teenage girl and telling her to get in his vehicle in north Salmon Creek.
Cameron Parrish, 31, appeared Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree assault and a firearms violation. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 21.
Judge Christine Hayes said she set the bail high because Parrish poses a credible threat to the victim and the community’s safety. She also cited the probable cause affidavit in the case, which states that Parrish had suicidal ideations and was looking for the first juvenile he came across.
According to Columbian archives, bail in recent, high-profile cases alleging attempted kidnapping and kidnapping have ranged from $50,000 for a man accused of trying to kidnap a boy who was running a lemonade stand to $900,000 for a man accused of stealing a car with a baby inside.
Hayes granted the prosecution’s request for GPS monitoring and proof of firearm surrender if Parrish were to be released. Parrish also was ordered to have no contact with minors or go where minors often hang out, including schools, malls, movie theaters and zoos. His two children are exempt from the order, but his visits with them must be supervised.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday near Northeast Fourth Avenue and 149th Street for reports of an attempted kidnapping. A 13-year-old girl told deputies she was walking to her bus stop when she came across a man sitting outside of his car, which was parked facing the wrong direction on Northeast Fifth Avenue. She said the front of his vehicle was blocking the sidewalk, according to the probable cause affidavit.
As she walked within a few feet of him, she said, he pulled out a gun from inside his jeans pocket and pointed it at her. She said he told her, “I have a gun. Get in the car, and if you run, I will shoot you,” the affidavit states.
The girl said she knew bad things would happen if she got into the man’s car, so she ran away. She said she tried to flag down cars before two women pulled over to help her. One of the women called 911, according to court records.
The girl described the man and his vehicle to deputies before the bus arrived and she got on, the affidavit states.
Deputies searched the neighborhood, and a resident shared with them doorbell camera footage that captured a distinct blue vehicle matching the victim’s description. Investigators used databases to identify the Toyota IM registered to Parrish. Parrish’s driver’s license photo matched the girl’s description, except he had a longer beard in the photo, according to court records.
Investigators searched report databases for previous contact with Parrish and found a Glock firearm belonging to Parrish was previously turned over to Vancouver police for safekeeping. Parrish’s former wife had contacted police about surrendering the gun because she said she was concerned for Parrish’s mental health. Vancouver police records showed he got the gun in February, and detectives wrote that they believed that was the gun used in the incident, the affidavit states.
Deputies responded to Parrish’s house about 10 p.m. and arrested him. Deputies said he told them during an interview that he’d been suffering from depression and lack of sleep. Deputies said he admitted to trying to kidnap the girl and threatening to shoot her. They said he denied pointing the gun at her, but he said he had the gun in his pants pocket, according to court records.
Deputies said Parrish also admitted he intended to sexually assault the girl and then die by suicide. He reportedly told deputies he was glad she ran from him, court records state.
Editor’s note: The address where police responded was updated.
