One of three suspects connected to the shooting death of Clark County Sheriff’s detective Jeremy Brown has pleaded not guilty, while the alleged shooter remains in jail in a protracted situation.
According to court records examined on Aug. 16, Guillermo Raya Leon is set for an arraignment hearing on Sept. 9 for charges of first-degree aggravated murder and possession of a stolen firearm. He is alleged to have shot Brown in his vehicle while surveilling the residence Guillermo Raya Leon was at on suspicion of stolen firearms trafficking.
Guillermo Raya Leon was initially set for an arraignment on Aug. 13 though the date was postponed, according to court records. He is currently in the Clark County Jail, according to jail records.
The murder suspect’s alleged accomplices have also received charges. Abran Raya Leon, remains out of custody of the county, though he has numerous charges in the local court, including second-degree murder while possessing a firearm and charges relating to possessing the firearm, according to court records.
Misty Raya was the only suspect to enter a plea as of Aug. 16. She entered a not guilty plea and stands trial for nearly three dozen charges of firearms theft, among other charges, relating to a burglary of a storage unit in Hazel Dell in June.
According to a probable cause affidavit for Misty Raya’s arrest, she is alleged to have stolen about 30 firearms and between 20,000 to 30,000 rounds of ammunition, identification documents, credit cards and other belongings totaling more than $5,000 from a storage unit in the 7600 block of Northeast Fifth Street.
Both Misty Raya and Abran Raya Leon acknowledged they were being investigated for criminal activity during interviews, according to Guillermo Raya Leon’s probable cause affidavit for his arrest.
Brown and other investigators were conducting surveillance at The Pointe Apartments in the 3500 block of Northeast 109th Avenue in Vancouver on July 23. Guillermo Raya Leon, Abran Raya Leon and Misty Raya were seen arriving at the complex in a silver Toyota SUV.
According to the affidavit, Misty Raya and Abran Raya Leon said they were picked up by Lani Kraabell at a location in Portland. Both said Guillermo Raya Leon “repeatedly and emphatically expressed a heightened concern that ‘they were being followed,’” the affidavit stated.
They said he repeatedly had seen unmarked vehicles he believed were law enforcement wherever he went.
Brown was surveilling the area in an unmarked Jeep SUV in the parking lot of the complex, according to the affidavit.
Misty Raya reportedly told investigators Guillermo Raya Leon left the apartment and walked in an indirect manner to Brown’s vehicle. She saw Guillermo Raya Leon engage in a verbal exchange with Brown and shortly after she heard gunshots.
According to the affidavit, Guillermo Raya Leon said Brown shot at him first. Misty Raya said Guillermo Raya Leon was still armed with the revolver he reportedly used to shoot at Brown when they left in the Toyota.
