Man held without bail in Canby kidnapping, attack on sisters

CANBY, Ore. (KPTV) — A 35-year-old man was ordered held without bail Thursday after prosecutors revealed new details about the early-morning break-in where a 10-year-old girl was kidnapped and her 12-year-old sister was beaten unconscious with a hammer.

Vince Edgar Chavez appeared in Clackamas County Circuit Court facing charges of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of first-degree sodomy, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.

The attack started around 1:39 a.m. Wednesday when someone broke into a home at the Orchards Apartments on Southeast Township Road. The girls’ mother was home at the time and called 911.

During the break-in, the 12-year-old sister was hit in the head repeatedly with a hammer until she was knocked unconscious, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owen. She remains in the hospital, and Owen did not comment on her current condition.

The break-in left nearby neighbors shaken.

“I have a little sister; Imagining that happening, it kind of made me paranoid,” said Blanca Ruiz, who lives near Orchards Apartments.

Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said the crime happened steps away.

“My kids are three and four, and I really got scared about it because it was just in front of my house,” she said.

Investigators tracked Chavez to an Oregon City house by following his white van and tracking his phone. Tactical teams, including the U.S. Marshals Service, found the 10-year-old girl Wednesday afternoon inside the home near Pleasant Avenue and Sommer Street, bound with duct tape inside a duffle bag.

Chavez, who was renting a room at the Oregon City house, tried to run out the back before officers took him into custody. Authorities questioned several other people at the home, but Chavez is the only person facing charges.

The 10-year-old girl was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation and care. Owen did not comment on the extent of her injuries.

“Law enforcement acted quickly and decisively and without hesitation to locate that vehicle, as well as by tracking his phone and putting him to that particular residence and rescuing that little girl,” Owen said. “We’re confident in our case but just being confident in your case doesn’t fix what happened to these kids.”

Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Jones granted prosecutors’ request to hold Chavez without bail at the Clackamas County Jail. Chavez is scheduled to enter a plea Nov. 5.