A Clark County man and woman face charges in relation to an alleged robbery of a home that was in the evacuation zone for the Nakia Creek Fire.
Christina Peiffer, 28, of Camas, and William Golyshevsky, 31, of Vancouver, each face a charge of residential burglary and second-degree theft. During their first appearances in Clark County Superior Court on Oct. 21, Peiffer’s bail was set at $5,000 and Golyshevsky’s bail was set at $10,000. Both are scheduled for arraignments on Nov. 4.
According to a probable cause affidavit, sheriff’s deputies alongside police officers from Camas and Washougal responded to the 7500 block of Northeast Lessard Road for a burglary in progress at about 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 20.
The residence had at one time been in the highest-level evacuation zone, which instructs residents to “go now” due to fire risk. Given the property’s location in the evacuation zone, there was “heightened concern that criminals might take advantage of the heightened properties,” according to the affidavit.
No one was supposed to be at the residence, the affidavit stated, though the homeowner saw two suspects trespassing on their property via a steaming surveillance camera feed. A sheriff’s deputy who first arrived at the scene saw a vehicle associated with the suspects in a turnout some distance from the residence. The deputy encountered the suspects carrying property and walking toward the car. Both of them then dropped the property and fled into the woods near the residence.
The vehicle was filled with what appeared to be stolen property, including a pressure washer which was later determined to be stolen from the residence, the affidavit stated. Additional responding officers found the door to the residence’s garage unlocked.
About an hour after law enforcement first responded to the residence, a neighbor reported a woman was on her property. The woman asked the residents if she could use their phone so she could call someone for a ride, according to the affidavit. One of the officers recognized the woman, who matched the description of one of the suspects, and she was taken into custody and transported to the Camas Police Department.
At the police station, the suspect identified herself as Peiffer, the affidavit stated. She admitted to being the driver of the suspect vehicle that was found. Peiffer said she was with Golyshevsky and another man, who she said acted as a lookout. She said she was responsible for entering the garage and said she took the pressure washer, according to the affidavit.
A sheriff’s deputy verified with the homeowners that the suspects took their property which was worth more than $750, according to the affidavit.
Detectives did an extensive search at nearby residences as they looked for Golyshevsky, a release from the sheriff’s office stated. They checked the security footage of residences and looked for additional victims. They were not able to immediately locate Golyshevsky.
At about 7:40 p.m., medics from the Camas-Washougal Fire Department responded to a man in the same area as the burglary after they received a call from personnel with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The man, later identified at Golyshevsky, told DNR he had “taken some pills.” He was found by the personnel “to be mentally altered and exhibiting erratic behavior,” the affidavit stated.
Golyshevsky was found wearing the same clothes that were seen in the surveillance video. He was not willing or able to provide an interview to law enforcement, and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation before being booked into jail.
All areas near the Nakia Creek Fire have been removed from evacuation orders.
