Two Salem Women Arrested For Benton County Shooting After Luring Victim Via Dating App
BENTON COUNTY, Ore. — Two Salem women, Julia Dell Yepez and Alexa Montano Corral, both 20, were arrested earlier this week after a man was shot inside his car near Greenberry on Saturday. Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) officials indicated that the victim was lured through the Chispa dating app.
Yepez and Corral are facing a litany of felony charges after using a dating app to lure a man to an area near Highway 99 West and Lakeside Drive to steal from him. According to police reports, Yepez shot the man around 5:30 a.m., and the pair were spotted fleeing the scene.
Deputies found the injured man in a car when they arrived, and emergency responders took the victim to a hospital. He is expected to survive the ordeal.
Sheriff’s detectives found and arrested Yepez in Salem on Tuesday, and Corral was arrested on Thursday.
Both women are already facing criminal charges in other cases. Yepez is also facing charges of second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon in a separate case where she allegedly hit a man with a beer bottle during a domestic violence incident in January, and Corral has been charged with fleeing a police officer during an attempted traffic stop on April 4.
Both women are now in custody at the Benton County Jail. Yepez pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her when she was arraigned on Wednesday but is being held on $300,000 bail. She is charged with:
- Attempted Murder
- Assault I
- Menacing
- Unlawful Use of a Firearm
- Reckless Endangering
- Kidnapping II
Corral faces charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit menacing.
BCSO urged the public to exercise caution when meeting individuals using dating apps. Officials recommend you always meet in public and never isolate yourself until you know the other person’s intentions.