A Camas city councilor faces a felony assault charge stemming from an Aug. 31 confrontation that allegedly led to him throwing a rock and pointing a gun at a fisherman over a discarded cigarette butt, court records show.
John Svilarich, 66, was arrested Sept. 13 and was originally charged with two misdemeanors in Camas Washougal Municipal Court.
The charges were later referred to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and Svilarich now faces a second-degree assault charge and a reckless endangerment charge in Clark County.
“I did nothing wrong,” Svilarich said Monday when reached by phone.
A detective’s case summary filed in court indicates that Svilarich, who was sworn in as council member Jan. 1, was walking over a footbridge on the Washougal River Greenway with a friend around 7:52 a.m. on Aug. 31 when he got into an argument with a fisherman standing on the riverbank below.
According to the summary of interviews with those involved, Svilarich confronted the fisherman, Daniel Beaudoin, for throwing away a cigarette butt. The two men “yelled and cussed” at each other before Svilarich and his friend kept walking. The two men then returned to the bridge, and Svilarich allegedly threw a 6-to-8-inch rock towards Beaudoin, about 50 feet below. The rock landed about six feet away from Beaudoin, according to the police report.
Beaudoin walked along the river bank to get to the trail system. When they approached each other, Beaudoin and Svilarich again started “yelling and cussing” at each other, and Svilarich allegedly pulled out a black pistol and pointed it in Beaudoin’s direction. Beaudoin quickly retreated, looking back to see Svilarich pointing the gun at him or at the ground, he told police, according to the report. Beaudoin then called 911.
Interviewed by police, Svilarich’s friend confirmed that Svilarich had pulled a gun out and pointed it “up and in the direction of Beaudoin,” though he couldn’t tell if it was pointing directly at him, according to the report.
When police interviewed Svilarich, he first told them he didn’t have a gun, then said he had a gun but didn’t pull it out, then said he did pull it out but had it at “low ready” in self-defense. He said he did not point the gun at Beaudoin, according to the report.
He “eventually admitted” to throwing the rock, but told police he didn’t know Beaudoin was near where it landed, according to the report.
©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
