June 11, 2008

Gorge robbery suspect appears in court
Robbery, sodomy charges listed

By SUE RYAN
Hood River News

     Rigoberto R. Maldonado, 33, appeared in Hood River County Court June 5 before Judge Hull. He did not enter a plea, but waived his right to a jury trial.
     District Attorney John Sewell has charged Maldonado, 33, with two counts of felony robbery, first-degree sodomy and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor.
     After a brief discussion, the judge and attorneys set a status check hearing for 11:30 a.m. on June 30 in Hood River. It will be held partly because the process involving other crimes in the gorge is taking longer than expected due to the number of jurisdictions and police departments involved in the case.
     Maldonado is currently held at the regional jail in The Dalles, but stated his desire to attend each of his court appointments in person, rather than by video conference.
     An investigation into a Cascade Locks robbery on April 18 led law enforcement officials to Maldonado, who was living in Carson, Wash.
     According to police reports, a masked man approached a vehicle parked east of Cascade Locks along the freeway in which a 17-year-old couple was sitting.      The suspect reportedly brandished a handgun and sexually assaulted the teenage girl. He allegedly stole credit cards, cell phones and a laptop computer from them.
     Five other robberies have taken place in the gorge since December. The robberies occurred at Kelly Viewpoint in The Dalles, at the Charburger Restaurant and Mitchell Point in Hood River, in Multnomah County at the Women’s Forum State Park in Corbett and in Washington along State Route 14 along the Columbia shoreline.