Four Plead Guilty to Assault in Alleged Retaliation for October Stabbing in Chehalis

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Four suspects accused in October of assaulting a person with a baseball bat in retaliation for a stabbing earlier that month have pleaded guilty, and two have been sentenced to jail time. 

Taylor S. Rodgers, 20, of Chehalis, pleaded guilty on Nov. 15 to second-degree assault. She is scheduled to be back in court on Jan. 25 for a hearing to set her sentencing date. 

The standard range given her criminal history is three to nine months in jail.

According to court documents, she admitted to driving the others to the scene of the assault. 

Stormie McKenzie, 19, of Winlock, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on Nov. 16. She is also scheduled to be in court Jan. 25 for a hearing to set sentencing and is facing the same sentence as Rodgers. 

Victor Esteban Gonzalez, 18, of Centralia, pleaded guilty on Nov. 27 to second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to three months in jail with 12 months of supervision after his release. 

The standard sentencing range for the crime given his criminal history was three to nine months. 

Gonzalez admitted to being the one who swung a “club” at the victim and admitted to punching him. 

Jesus Adrian Gomez Mendez, 19, of Centralia, pleaded guilty on Dec. 28 to one count of third-degree assault and was sentenced to 72 days in jail. 

The standard sentencing range for the crime given his criminal history was one to three months. 

He entered an Alford plea, meaning he did not admit guilt but believed he would be convicted if the case went to trial.

According to court documents, deputies from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded Oct. 13 to the 200 block of Brockway Road for a report of an assault the previous night. 

A man reported he was walking his dog when a car pulled up in his driveway and several suspects wearing masks got out and assaulted him with a baseball bat. 

The victim reported he believed the assault was done in retaliation for his role in an incident in which a 17-year-old boy was stabbed Oct. 5 in a parking lot at the Chehalis Walmart. 

Jose F. Chagolla-Flores, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a deadly weapon Nov. 30 in relation to the stabbing and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. 

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Reporter Natalie Johnson can be reached at 360-807-8235 or njohnson@chronline.com.