Solis found guilty

Jury convicts Moses Lake man of attempted murder

EPHRATA - A Moses Lake man was convicted of attempted murder, unlawful imprisonment and unlawful possession of a firearm.

An eight-woman, four-man jury found Miguel Solis Jr., 24, guilty in Grant County Superior Court.

Miguel Solis Jr. brought Raul Vasquez from Pasco to the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles south of Moses Lake, in January, according to court records. When they arrived at the refuge, Solis ordered him to get out of the car.

Then Solis called Vasquez a "snitch" and shot at him with a .38 caliber revolver, according to court documents. Solis' brother, Jose Solis, 20, of Moses Lake, also allegedly shot at him. Vasquez was shot in the neck and in the shoulder.

"(Vasquez will) tell you that in this remote area, that he was somehow able to start running after he was being shot at," Grant County Deputy Prosecutor Steve Scott said during opening statements. "He'll tell you he was shot twice but shot at numerous times."

The man managed to escape Miguel Solis Jr., hiding in the bushes, then broke through the ice on a pool of water, according to court records. After escaping, he walked to where Rick Poetter, the refuge's manager lived.

"(Poetter) was getting ready to go to a meeting he had to go to, and he went outside and started his vehicle to warm it up," Scott said. "He went back into the bunk house, and he heard a knock on the door. He observed a man … holding his neck."

Miguel Solis Jr. could face a maximum term of life in prison. Scott said sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 18.

Jose Solis is charged with attempted murder in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree and tampering with physical evidence in connection to the incident.