A retired federal agent said Monday he's fortunate to come away unscathed after a shootout with a burglary suspect in his home on Christmas Eve.
The suspected shooter was arrested Sunday and no one was injured. Retired U.S. Customs Senior Special Agent Thomas Schenk can't shake the thought that the outcome could have been different.
"I spent 25 years as a federal agent and had occasionally drawn my weapon under various circumstances, but never had to fire it," said Schenk, 66, who worked in Portland and retired in 2003. "To have to fire in my own home, it was just hard to fathom."
Schenk had been gone from his house in Amboy, Wash., for nearly four hours when he returned around 1:45 p.m., noticed his garage door was unlocked and saw his home in such a disarray that it looked as if "a tornado came through."
The retired agent, a concealed handgun permit holder, unholstered his gun, walked into his living room and spotted a man loading a bag with the family's belongings.
The man, 32-year-old Brandon March, raised his arms when he saw Schenk and told the former agent not to shoot, according to a probable cause affidavit. March then ran to a bedroom, peeked around a bookcase while holding a gun and told Schenk to drop his firearm, the affidavit said.
Schenk held onto his gun and March shot at him, hitting the wall behind the homeowner, the affidavit said.
Schenk returned fire, but he quickly ran outside the home located in a rural area along Northeast 216th Avenue, worried that a second burglar also was in the home.
"I had enough memorabilia that they knew I was a former law enforcement officer, but they just didn't care," Schenk said. "This person chose to shoot at me, maybe to get rid of any witnesses."
Schenk hid behind a woodpile and called 911, the affidavit said. March fled, and Schenk waited for deputies to come.
Then this past weekend, police tracked down March and arrested him at a Vancouver home, according to the Clark County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators previously had arrested 32-year-old Brian Slay and 34-year-old Rachelle Ward in the case. Slay is believed to also have been in Schenk's home, but ran sometime after the shooting began, said Kasey Vu, a Clark County senior deputy prosecutor.
March and Slay will be arraigned Friday on allegations of attempted murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and first-degree attempted theft, Vu said. Ward also is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on an accusation of first-degree rendering of criminal assistance.
Clark County sheriff's deputies found several bullet holes in Schenk's living room walls, including two where Schenk had been standing when the gunfire erupted, the affidavit said. Investigators found that someone had rifled through the home's closets and cupboards and placed belongings in bins, boxes and bags. One of the burglars had left a bottle of Snapple iced tea in one of the bedrooms, according to the affidavit.
Investigators interviewed neighbors who gave physical descriptions of Slay and March and found a green Ford F-150 registered to Ward's mother abandoned in the area, the affidavit said. The mother told them that she loaned the pickup to Ward, but that Slay, Ward's boyfriend, had driven it.
Ward claimed to her mom that Slay was taking a friend to Schenk's home to collect a debt, but that Slay stayed in the pickup, smoked a cigarette as the burglary occurred and ran from the truck when he heard gunshots, the affidavit said.
Slay stayed in the woods around Schenk's home for more than six hours until Slay's mother picked him up, according to the affidavit. Investigators found Slay's wallet with his ID in the pickup.
On Dec. 28, Ward told investigators she didn't know where Slay was when the burglary occurred and didn't know the identity of the second man involved, the affidavit said.
Ward and Slay were arrested the same day. Ward identified March by name as the other man involved in the burglary during a recorded phone call from the Clark County Jail with Slay's mother, the affidavit said.
Schenk said he didn't know any of the suspects and that they appeared to be trying to take "anything and everything" from his home.
"We all get lulled into a false sense of security and if nothing happens, that's great," he said. "But in the event something does occur, nowadays you can't trust that everything is going to be all right. I'm thankful I was able to refer to my training and keep a clear head."
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