St. Helens Officers Make Arrest, Recover Stolen Handgun

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2022

ST. HELENS, OR -- On Monday, September 26, 2022, the St. Helens Police Department was dispatched to the report of a suspicious person in the area of Summit View Drive. When police arrived on scene, they learned that neighbors had followed the individual to a nearby wooded area where the suspect was believed to be hiding. Police received reports on scene of multiple vehicle break ins in the neighborhood. Personal items were stolen from vehicles, including a handgun.

The St. Helens Police Department set up a perimeter and conducted a track in the woods. After deploying St. Helens K-9 Ryder, the suspect emerged from the woods and was taken into custody without incident. The stolen handgun and other items were recovered on scene.

Devere Wind Sanchez, 35, of Portland, Oregon, was taken to Columbia County Jail and is being lodged on multiple counts of Theft I, Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle, and multiple outstanding warrants out of Multnomah County. This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges may be forthcoming.

If you live in the area of Summit View Drive and Bachelor Flat Road and your vehicle was broken into or you had property stolen on the morning of September 26, 2022, please contact the St. Helens Police Department at 503-397-1521.

You can help protect yourself from becoming a victim of a vehicle break in by doing the following: Lock, Take, Hide. Always make sure to lock your vehicle, take your keys and belongings with you, and hide any items that you have to leave behind. Report vehicle break ins and theft to the St. Helens Police Department at 503-397-1521.

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For further information regarding this press release, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.