Charges Filed Against Girlfriend of Accused Gunman In Deadly Craigslist Robbery

Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against the girlfriend of the alleged shooter in a deadly Edgewood home-invasion robbery.

Prosecutors charged Jenna Nicole Ford, 18, on Tuesday with three counts of first-degree rendering criminal assistance. A warrant has been issued for her arrest. Charging documents indicate she has been in Arkansas training for the Army National Guard.

Charging documents allege Ford is the girlfriend of Kiyoshi Higashi, who's been identified as the gunman who killed Jim Sanders during a robbery at Sanders' Edgewood home April 28. Higashi and three others have been charged with murder, robbery and other crimes in connection with the deadly incident.

Prosecutors allege Ford helped Higashi, Amanda Knight and Joshua Reese clean out the car driven to and from the Sanders' home. They removed zip ties, cords and receipts from the vehicle in the hours after the shooting.

"Jenna reported that she has been questioned in the past by police about a murder so she knew what evidence to get rid of," charging documents state. "Jenna reported she did not touch anything in the car because she did not want her fingerprints in the car."

Ford told Reese and Knight about a nearby Dumpster, where they could throw away their clothing. Higashi reportedly spent the night of April 28 with Ford and the two kept checking the Internet for the status of the investigation.

The next day, Higashi, Reese and Knight left. They were later arrested during a traffic stop in California.

Ford denied knowing that Higashi would flee the state. She also told investigators she told two family members and a friend about what Higashi told her about the robbery. Ford claimed she called Crime Stoppers days later to provide the names of the four robbers.

Crime Stoppers did receive a similar tip on May 1, after Higashi, Reese and Knight were stopped in California.

Ford is scheduled to appear in an Arkansas court on Thursday.