An officer sets a spike strip in hopes of disabling a vehicle fleeing westbound on Interstate 84 in Hood River. The vehicle instead fled into Washington.
An officer sets a spike strip in hopes of disabling a vehicle fleeing westbound on Interstate 84 in Hood River. The vehicle instead fled into Washington.
Jody Thompson photo
Agents from Skamania County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men in connection with a kidnapping and forgery case that arose out of The Dalles last week.
Following a grand jury investigation, Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis said the suspects, 20-year-old Jalyn Brown and 21-year-old Sincere Nasir Demarja Mullins, were indicted on multiple charges, including first-degree forgery, second-degree kidnapping, identity theft, and attempted theft, while one received additional charges on attempt to elude police and reckless driving. The suspects are being held at Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility in The Dalles.
The suspects are alleged to have persuaded a homeless man from Portland to go along with the scam and forged fake checks in his name. The three men were alleged to have visited multiple banks in the state before arriving in The Dalles, Ellis said.
During an attempt to cash a fraudulent check at First Interstate Bank in The Dalles Thursday afternoon, police logs note that the man “appeared nervous, he was faking phone calls and attempted to leave without his ID.” The man then left a note on the back of a receipt that “he is being kidnapped” and reported identifying information on the suspects and their vehicle.
According to The Dalles City Police Chief Tom Worthy, law enforcement was first notified that a victim was attempting to pass a fraudulent check at U.S. Bank in The Dalles. Bank manager Kim Kennedy-Burns declined to comment on the incident.
Worthy said officers spoke with the victim near the bank and were notified of the make and model of the vehicle the suspects used. They had fled the scene, said Worthy. Thus began a Gorge-wide manhunt for the suspects.
According to Worthy, the suspects crossed the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge and headed in the direction of Carson. Agents from Skamania County Sheriff’s Office discovered the car unoccupied and dispatched a K-9 unit and a drone to locate the suspects. Both suspects were detained and sent to a hospital in Hood River, according to police logs, which note the car was identified as a rental car dispatched from an airport in Seattle.
“The Dalles City Police and partners all worked together to bring a peaceful resolution to this situation,” Worthy said.
Worthy noted many of the details on this case are still being worked out by investigators.
Skamania County Sheriff’s Office did not return a request for comment by press deadline.
The suspects are being held on bail posted at $10,000 each.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.