Vancouver man sentenced to more than 5 years for charges of assault, communicating with minor for immoral purposes
A Clark County Superior Court judge sentenced a man Tuesday to nearly six years in prison after he tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint last year in north Salmon Creek.
Cameron Parrish, 32, of Vancouver pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree assault and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. He was originally charged with first-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree assault and a firearms violation.
Judge Christine Hayes sentenced Parrish to 69 months, which included a deadly weapons enhancement.
In court records, Parrish admitted to fantasizing about sex with minor girls and said he intended to sexually assault the girl he attempted to kidnap and then die by suicide.
His defense attorney told the court Parrish had a mental breakdown and called his actions "a very bad mistake."
Parrish told the court he is remorseful for his actions and ready to do his time and "make it up to the community" once he is out.
He said part of the reason he pleaded guilty was to avoid further traumatizing the victim who would be forced to take the stand at trial.
In addition to his sentence, Parrish must register as a sex offender, cannot have any firearms and cannot go to areas where minors congregate. However, he's allowed to maintain contact with his children. He must attend mental health meetings and sex offender evaluations.
Clark County sheriff's deputies responded about 8:30 a.m. May 6, 2025, to Northeast Fourth Avenue and 149th Street following reports of an attempted abduction.
According to court records, the victim reported encountering a man outside his vehicle, which was parked against traffic on Northeast Fifth Avenue, as she walked to the school bus stop. The girl said as she approached, the man, later identified by authorities as Parrish, produced a handgun from his jeans pocket and aimed it at her. She said Parrish told her "I have a gun. Get in the car, and if you run, I will shoot you."
Fearing for her safety, the girl ran away and flagged down two women for help.
The girl provided deputies with a description of the man and his vehicle. Deputies obtained doorbell camera footage of a vehicle matching the girl's account. Database searches linked the vehicle to Parrish, whose license photo matched the girl's suspect description, court documents state.
Investigators learned that a Glock handgun registered to Parrish had once been held by Vancouver police for safekeeping after his former wife expressed concerns regarding his mental state. Investigators said Parrish regained possession of the weapon in February 2025, and they believed it was used during the incident with the girl.
Parrish was arrested at his home that night. He admitted to the kidnapping attempt and threats, court records show, but he denied pointing the gun at the girl.
Arresting deputies wrote Parrish expressed relief that the girl had escaped.
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