By Paul Daquilante • Staff Writer • 

Arrest made, suspect sought in car jacking, robbery

A Dayton man has been taken into custody in connection with an armed carjacking and robbery last week, and the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office is seeking an alleged accomplice.

Jacob Brandon Gonzales, 25, of Dayton, was arraigned Monday before Circuit Court Judge Ladd Wiles. Alexander Zavoy Woods, 22, of Newberg, is still being sought.

The two are each facing four counts of first-degree theft in addition to one count each of first-degree robbery, second-degree criminal trespass, menacing and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Robbery is a Class A felony and Measure 11 offense punishable by a mandatory minimum prison sentence.

The theft and unauthorized use of a vehicle charges are Class C felonies. Menacing and trespassing are misdemeanors.

Gonzales was lodged on $200,000 bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on a grand jury indictment at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

He was taken into custody Saturday in connection with an unrelated  case. McMinnville attorney Carol Fredrick will handle his defense.

Gonzales was on probation at the time. Two months ago, Judge Ronald Stone sentenced him to 10 days in jail and 18 months on probation on a conviction of possession of a controlled substance/methamphetamine.

In March 2016, he was sentenced to 12 months of probation in a possession case adjudicated in Multnomah County. He violated terms of that probation in August 2016.

Woods was also under supervision at the time.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison on a first-degree burglary conviction, followed by 36 months under post-prison supervision. He was within days of completing his supervision requirement.

“Carjackings in metropolitan areas are more of stranger-on-stranger type of deals,” Capt. Chris Ray said. “It’s not something we see a lot of. When we do, it’s something that usually has more of a back story.”

Deputy Richard Broyles gave this account in a probable cause affidavit:

The unidentified victim reported the incident to the sheriff’s office about 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17.

A few days earlier he said he met a male at a friend’s residence. The male identified himself as Brandon.

The following day, he received and accepted a Facebook friend request from Brandon. Deputy Matthew Twitchell said there was a strong possibility the male was Jacob Brandon Gonzales, a known drug user with whom deputies have had numerous contacts in the past.

Gonzales then sent the victim a Facebook message shortly after midnight on Sept. 17, asking for a ride from a location just inside the Newberg city limits to a residence on Deborah Road in Newberg.

When the victim arrived to pick up Gonzales, he was accompanied by a male unknown to the victim. The pair were dropped off on Deborah Road near Mabel Rush Elementary School, and the victim drove off.

Then he received another Facebook message from Gonzales about 4 a.m., asking for another ride, this time from a location near the school to Dayton.

When the victim arrived, Gonzales was with another male whom he did not know, but who identified himself as Eric. As the victim drove off, Gonzales rode in the front passenger and Eric in the back, behind the driver’s seat.

When the three arrived in Dayton, they continued through town on Southeast Webfoot Road and then to Grand Island Road and Grand Island Loop toward the Willamette River.

The victim said the area was completely unfamiliar to him, and he suspected his passengers were high. He was asked to stop at a residence, where Gonzales went inside.

After the victim and Eric waited about 45 minutes, Gonzales returned from the residence. Eric was still seated behind him, and that’s when the victim felt a knife being held to his throat by Eric, who told him not to move or he would slice his throat.

The victim tried to reach under his seat to retrieve a handgun, but Eric told him not to, at which time Gonzales approached the driver’s door from behind the vehicle and took the knife from Eric.

He and Gonzales told the victim they wanted the car and all its possessions. They pulled him out and drove off, with Gonzales at the wheel.

A few hours later, the car was discovered abandoned in the front yard of a residence near Dayton City Hall. The firearms were missing, as were other items.

When interviewed by Broyles, Gonzales admitted he was “directly involved” with Woods, whom the victim only knew as Eric.

 

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