The Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is excited to announce that the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) Southwest Washington Regional Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) has its first class scheduled to begin on November 27^th, 2023.

Through the tremendous effort of regional law enforcement partners, local governments, local and state elected officials, and the CJTC, the SW Washington Regional Academy has become a reality. This is excellent news for our region and will significantly increase SW Washington law enforcement agencies ability to get recruit deputies and officers on patrol and working in the community. Historically, most recruit deputies have had to attend the academy in Burien, WA, where local agencies had to compete with agencies across the state for limited academy slots causing wait times for academy start dates to get longer and longer. The Regional Academy will also be an excellent opportunity for local law enforcement to be instructors, facilitators, and mentors at the Regional Academy, which further grows capabilities in our region.

BLEA is Washington’s mandated training academy for all city and county entry-level peace officers in the state. The SW Washington Regional Academy will be able to accommodate up to 30 students per class and will run two classes per year. Each class will teach the 720-hour BLEA Curriculum over approximately 18 weeks. The BLEA training model provides a standard training curriculum to ensure all officers have the same base-level understanding of their responsibility to the communities they serve, standards to uphold, and education for effective community-oriented policing.

CCSO would like to thank all our regional law enforcement partners and state and local elected officials who worked to make the SW Washington Regional Academy happen.

Vehicle 3

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at about 2:00am, a Clark County Sheriff's Deputy attempted to stop a reckless driver headed east on NE Padden Parkway from NE 117th Ave in Vancouver at over 100mph. The vehicle eluded the deputy by driving over 130mph and the deputy did not pursue the vehicle for public safety in accordance with Washington State Law. 

Other law enforcement in the area spotted the vehicle and were able to get a look at the driver before he ran from police a second time. A few minutes later, a deputy contacted a subject walking in the area who matched the description of the driver and the subject fled on foot near the 15500 block of NE 85th St. The car was located unoccupied in the same neighborhood. 

After a search of the neighborhood, Tyler Stout (18) of Vancouver, was located hiding behind a vehicle. He was apprehended after another foot chase. Stout was booked into the Clark County Jail for Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle. 

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UPDATE: The Clark County Sheriff's Office collaborated with local and federal agencies and obtained information indicating April Brinkman and her vehicle were spotted at a gas station in Umatilla County, OR. This information led to Oregon State Police locating the vehicle on Interstate 84, heading east, just after 1:00am. Brinkman attempted to elude law enforcement, who did not pursue her for the safety of the child in the vehicle. Tire deflation devices were successfully deployed which rendered the vehicle inoperable in a safe manner.

April Brinkman was arrested in Malheur County, OR, just west of the Idaho border, by Oregon State Police. Benjamin was safely recovered and reunited with his father. April Brinkman faces charges of Residential Burglary, Custodial Interference, and Attempting to Elude Police. 

The Clark County Sheriff's Office extends great thanks to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Abducted Minor Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alert Program, Vancouver Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oregon State Police, and Baker City Police Department for their extensive efforts in assisting with this investigation and the safe recovery of this child. 

On 06/05/2023 at approximately 1944 hours, Clark County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 6401 NE 52^nd Street, Vancouver Washington. James Fargher had reported that his 6 year old son Benjamin had been taken from his residence by Benjamin’s mother, April Brinkman, who does not have custodial rights over the child. Benjamin was taken from April by New Mexico CPS approximately a week prior for reasons of neglect. It is believed April is taking Benjamin back to New Mexico via Interstate 84. 

Benjamin is a 6 year old white male who is approximately 3’8” tall and 60 pounds. Benjamin has blonde hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing a Mario Pajama shirt and Blue Pajama Pants. April is a 51 year old white female who is approximately 5’06” tall and 140 pounds. April has blue eyes and brown hair. A digital image has been attached of both April and Benjamin to this release. 

April was last seen driving a 2013 Acura RDX bearing license plate (OR 787FZE). The RDX is gold in color.

April Brinkman is wanted by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office for charges of Residential Burglary DV and Custodial Interference First Degree DV.  

If you see or have any information regarding April and Benjamin’s where abouts, please notify local authorities immediately. 

Front door

On June 3, 2023 at about 10:22pm, Clark County Sheriff's Deputies responded to an alarm at a car dealership located at 9408 NE Highway 99 in Vancouver. A Sheriff's Office small Unmanned Aircraft Systems operator was nearby and deployed a UAS over the business within 3 minutes of the alarm call being placed. The front door of the dealership was found to have been shattered.

Responding units contacted a subject exiting the business. Kevin Navarro (21), of Vancouver, was arrested for Burglary in the second degree. He was found to have multiple sets of keys in his possession which belonged to vehicles owned by the dealership. Navarro was booked into the Clark County Jail for the Burglary and additional charges for Theft and Vandalism have been referred to the Clark County Prosecutor's Office. 

The Sheriff's Office has responded to an increasing number of commercial burglaries along Highway 99 in Hazel Dell over the past few months. We have increased patrols in the area in an effort to prevent crime and provide a timely response to these incidents. 

On June 1^st, 2023, at approximately 21:26 hours, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Clark County Fire District 3, Vancouver Fire Department and American Medical Response (AMR) personnel responded to the 13900 block of NE 172^nd Ave to a report of a motorcycle versus car collision.  First responders arrived to find an adult male occupant of Volkswagen sedan with serious injuries and requiring extrication.  The driver of the Volkswagen was transported to a local hospital.  The operator of the motorcycle was not immediately located, but after searching the area, a deceased adult male was located in the nearby brush. 

The initial investigation indicates the offroad style motorcycle was traveling south on NE 172^nd Ave when it was struck by the Volkswagen traveling north on NE 172^nd Ave and passing a witness vehicle.  The Volkswagen then struck a power pole.

Based on initial information, it appears speed and alcohol may have been contributing factors in the collision.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit is investigating this collision.  Names of those involved are not being released at this time.

Sheriff Horch would like to invite Clark County residents to a community forum on Thursday, June 1st, at Cherry Grove Friends Church from 5:30pm-7:00pm .

Updates from the Sheriff's Office will be shared, to include a discussion of crime trends, agency staffing, the future of the regional training academy, and the latest on the Body Worn Camera program. The Sheriff and members of his leadership team will also take questions from the community.

Location- Cherry Grove Friends Church

Address- 9100 NE 219th St, Battle Ground, WA 98604

Start Time- 5:30pm

This is the second community forum with the Sheriff, with the first forum being held in Salmon Creek in March. There will be additional forums in different areas of Clark County through the end of the year. 

On May 29, 2023, at approximately 19:42 hours, the Clark County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) responded to a Wanted Person call near Walnut Grove Park in the 6900 BLK of NE 58th Street in Vancouver, WA.  

A family member of one of the four outstanding juveniles, who had escaped from the Echo Glen Children's Center,  called 911 to report all four of them were in their residence when they returned from the store. The family member told them to leave and then called 911. CCSO confirmed, based on the information provided by the family member, that they were the four escaped juveniles. The family member suspected they were still in the area on foot. 

All four subjects had arrest warrants out of King County. Informational flyers previously posted by the King County Sheriff's Office indicated they were wanted for Escape, Kidnap, Carjacking, and Assault charges from the escape incident and had criminal histories that included Murder, Assault, Robbery, and Firearms related charges. 

Deputies used unmarked vehicles to canvas the area and spotted the four subjects near NE 76^th Avenue and NE 61^st Way. They observed the subjects walk into the open field at Walnut Grove Elementary School. Two Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms were deployed to keep observation of the subjects from above. An aircraft from the Air Support Unit was requested to respond as well. The Southwest Washington Regional SWAT team was paged to respond to assist with the apprehension.

CCSO deputies and officers from Vancouver Police Department set containment around the area. Before the arrival of the SWAT team, the four juveniles became alerted to police presence and attempted to flee the area on foot. Three subjects ran southbound and were met by several CCSO deputies and VPD officers. The three were taken into custody without incident. 

During the apprehension of the other three, one of the juveniles was able to make it back to the area of the family member's residence. Containment units spotted the juvenile and were able to take him into custody as well without incident.

All four subjects were booked into Juvenile Detention Hall on their outstanding warrants, and detectives with the King County Sheriff's Office were notified. 

collision

On 5/23/23 at approximately 1045 hrs CCSO Deputies and other first responders were dispatched to a collision near 15900 NE Union Rd, Clark County, WA.   Initial reports indicate one vehicle crossed the centerline colliding with a second vehicle head on.  The drivers of both vehicles were transported to the hospital with serious injuries.  The CCSO traffic unit responded and with the assistance of patrol deputies began conducting an investigation.   This case is active pending further investigation by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.  

Standoff 3

On May 18th, 2023 at approximately 10:51pm, law enforcement personnel from the Clark County Sheriff's Office and Washington State Patrol responded to assist American Medical Response personnel on Interstate 5 northbound at milepost 5 in Vancouver. Medics had been transporting a patient to the hospital when the patient became combative inside the ambulance and began attempting to access unknown items in his bags. The medics pulled-over along the freeway and vacated the ambulance for their safety. 

Joseph Webb (37), of Kelso, was identified as the subject in the ambulance. A standoff ensued on the side of the freeway which lasted about a half hour. Joseph could be seen intermittently peeking out through the back doors of the ambulance. Deputies were able to make phone contact with Joseph and negotiate his safe surrender. He was ultimately transported to an area hospital in a different ambulance. There were no injuries reported as a result of this incident. 

LEM Event Flyer

The 2023 Clark County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony is being held on May 18, 2023, starting at 11:00 am. It will be held in the Commissioners Hearing Room on the 6^th floor of the Public Service Center located at 1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver, WA 98660.

It has been several years since the Clark County ceremony was held, and it is a chance to recognize those locally and throughout the State of Washington who were killed in the line of duty. This ceremony is open to the public and will feature Honor Guard members from local law enforcement agencies.

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

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Update:

After an investigation conducted by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit, Ronda Knapp was arrested on a charge of vehicular homicide and booked into the Clark County Jail on 5/10/23.

Original post:

On February 4, 2022, at approximately 2108 hours, Clark County Sheriff’s deputies responded with Clark County Fire Districts 3, 13 and with North Country EMS ambulance, to single vehicle serious injury collision in the 26700 block of NE Lucia Falls Rd Yacolt, Washington. 

Deputies determined a 2000 Toyota Tacoma was being operated eastbound on NE Lucia Falls Rd by 48-year-old Ronda Knapp and occupied by right front passenger 51-year-old Steven Woolsey both from Yacolt, Washington.  The Toyota exited the roadway to the south and struck several trees. Ronda and Steven had to be extricated from the Toyota by rescue personnel.

Despite lifesaving efforts, Steven died at the scene.  Ronda sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to local hospital for treatment. 

Speed and alcohol are contributing factors in this collision event.   The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit is investigating.