A Clark County Juvenile Court supervisor was arrested Wednesday evening for allegedly assaulting a man at a Washougal boat launch.
Kevin Memsic, 43, of Vancouver repeatedly punched Douglas Wilson, 68, of Washougal at the Port of Camas-Washougal last week, according to court documents. He’s scheduled to appear in Camas-Washougal Municipal Court on Thursday on a charge of fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor.
Police were dispatched to the port, 24 S. A St., at 7:49 p.m. Wednesday. In a probable cause affidavit, Wilson said that a white truck belonging to Memsic was blocking other boats from coming up the ramp and that a teenager was sitting in the driver’s seat, talking on her cellphone.
Wilson told the teenager, whose name was redacted from court documents, that she needed to get off her cellphone and move the truck so other people could use the boat launch. After she moved the truck, Wilson got his trailer and pulled his boat out of the water.
Memsic then approached Wilson’s truck and started yelling at him about what he said to the teenager, Memsic’s daughter, according to the affidavit. He alleged that Wilson was rude to her while she was at the boat launch and believed that Wilson was mean to her because of her race.
Memsic said Wilson’s truck was now blocking traffic and started beating on the truck. He opened the driver’s side door and punched Wilson multiple times in the face, according to the affidavit. Wilson pushed Memsic away with his feet and he backed off. Wilson pulled his truck forward. When Memsic ran back to the truck, he told Wilson he had not moved far enough and punched him again.
“He tried to beat me up. His daughter gave him some false information … and he also didn’t like where I parked,” Wilson said. “Never seen him before in my life, and I hope I never do again.”
Sgt. Brad Chicks said Wilson had injuries to his nose and face. Multiple witnesses at the boat launch confirmed the assault.
When interviewed by police, Memsic said he knew nothing about the fight. However, in an interview with The Columbian, he said he chose to remain silent and added that there’s more to the story than may be documented in the police reports. He otherwise declined to comment about the specifics of the altercation.
According to the affidavit, Memsic smelled strongly of alcohol and acknowledged that he had been drinking.
As Washougal Police Officer Kyle Kinnan went to get the daughter’s side of the story, she started yelling and cursing at him and tried to get out of the truck. After she calmed down, she told him that Wilson was rude and angry when he asked her to move the truck. Her friend, who was sitting in the backseat, reported that Wilson jabbed the palm of his hand to mimic texting.
As Kinnan pressed her for more information, including her name, date of birth and phone number, Memsic yelled at Kinnan and told him to stop talking to her. He repeatedly said she had a right not to talk to Kinnan.
When Kinnan detained Memsic, the teenage daughter kicked the inside passenger door and yelled more profanities at the officer, according to the affidavit. She later apologized for her behavior.
At Clark County Juvenile Court, Memsic is the supervisor for community programs and diversion, an alternative to prosecution for first-time offenders and those who commit minor offenses. According to the county website, he oversees the Restorative Community Service program that offers meaningful volunteer opportunities for youth offenders outside of work crews; the Victim Impact Program that serves victims of these offenders; and the Community Accountability Boards, which connect offenders with community members. He also supervises probation counselors.
