Man held without bail after sisters abducted in Canby
Prosecutors say the 12-year-old girl suffered a traumatic brain injury from hammer blows while her 10-year-old stepsister was taken and assaulted.
By Bianca Shevchenko ·
Vince Edgar Chavez, 36, was arraigned Thursday in Clackamas County Circuit Court on a nine-count felony indictment. The charges stem from the abduction and assault of two sisters in Canby on October 28. Chavez pleaded not guilty to all counts through his attorney, Brian Schmonsees. The plea was entered before Judge Heather Karabeika.
The indictment includes attempted murder in the first degree, first-degree kidnapping, and first-degree sexual abuse. It also lists four counts of first-degree sodomy, first-degree burglary, and second-degree assault. A strangulation count is also part of the charges. Prosecutors are leading the case through Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owen and Deputy District Attorney Josh Cutino.
Chavez is currently held without bail at the Clackamas County Jail. A preventive detention hearing is scheduled for December 1 at 9 a.m. That three-hour hearing will determine if bail will be set and will establish the trial date. The court has not yet assigned a specific day for the trial.
The Clackamas County District Attorney's office told reporters that the 12-year-old victim was struck in the head with a hammer during the intrusion. The office stated the girl has a traumatic brain injury. The 10-year-old stepsister was taken from the home and later sexually assaulted.
The maternal grandmother of the victims provided details about the night of the attack. She said the girls were sleeping in the living room of their unit at the Orchards Apartments when a man broke in just before 2 a.m. The mother woke to a man's voice and found her older daughter unconscious and bleeding. She saw the intruder leaving with the younger child.
The mother observed a white van parked near the building before calling 911. Officers searched for the 10-year-old for approximately 13 hours. They located her alive inside a closet at an Oregon City home where Chavez was renting a room. She was duct-taped inside a duffel bag. The grandmother said the mother had dated Chavez for about two months after meeting him on a dating site, ending the relationship after he focused on the 10-year-old.
Both sisters are now staying with their father as they begin physical and emotional recovery.
