Gang member could face up to life in prison for carjacking family at Tri-Cities park
A 29-year-old gang member is facing prison after forcing a father and two children out of an SUV and stealing it from Kennewick’s Playground of Dreams.
A Benton County jury took about an hour and a half before finding Jokane Riklon guilty of first-degree robbery in a case that brought in officers from both sides of the state after a trial earlier in the month.
The jurors also found an aggravating circumstance for the impact the crime had on the two children.
Kennewick, Auburn, Kent and Selah police described the Jan. 7, 2023 robbery. Riklon then drove across the state, and was caught after detectives learned he paired his cellphone with the car’s Bluetooth.
Riklon faces a sentencing range of seven to nine years and eight months in prison. But with the enhancement he could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
He is presently scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5.
Court documents say Riklon is a known gang member and a suspect in several robberies in the Tri-Cities.
Riklon approached a Ford Explorer in the Playground of Dreams parking lot about 4:15 p.m. where a father sat with his 5- and 7-year-old daughters, court documents said.
As he walked over to the driver’s door, Riklon pulled out a pistol and pointed it at the man, court documents said. He demanded the father get out of the car and leave the keys inside.
After getting out of the SUV, he was able to get his two girls out of the back seat. Riklon got into the vehicle and drove away.
About three days later, Auburn police found the SUV at an apartment complex after it was reported for violating the complex rules. When police checked it, they discovered it had been stolen from Kennewick.
After a download of the data from the vehicle by Kent police, investigators learned Riklon had paired his cellphone with the car’s stereo system after the robbery.
Then police tracked his cellphone’s location, which showed it had traveled from Auburn to Kennewick and then returned, court documents said.
Riklon was arrested on March 3, and police found a gun on him that was linked to a shooting in Pasco on Jan. 6. He was not charged in connection with that shooting.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 9:08 AM.