A Vancouver man who allegedly feuded with a neighbor stands accused of striking her daughter and two of her friends with a baseball bat.
King K. Gardner, 62, appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of six counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree malicious mischief.
One of the victims — Shyanne Belcher-Blair, 21 — indicated there was an ongoing feud between her mother and Gardner, who are neighbors, according to a probable cause affidavit by Clark County sheriff’s Detective Chris Luque.
On the evening of Nov. 27, Belcher-Blair and two other women, Kiersten Jensen and Abigail Smith, had been drinking when they drove in front of Gardner’s house in the Sifton neighborhood, Luque wrote. When they saw Gardner standing outside, Belcher-Blair rolled down one of the vehicle’s windows and shouted a profanity, the detective wrote.
The three women parked and then approached the house to confront him, Luque wrote.
“Shyanne said that she got up to the front porch … and started to yell at him about threatening her mother,” Luque wrote.
Gardner said he didn’t know what she was talking about, went inside and slammed the door, according to the affidavit. Belcher-Blair kicked the door, then turned to leave, Luque wrote.
As she and the other women began to walk away, Gardner emerged from the house with a wooden bat, Luque wrote. Jensen and Smith began to run, but Belcher-Blair said she didn’t believe Gardner would swing the bat, according to the affidavit. Belcher-Blair said she was halfway across the street when Gardner approached her from behind and struck her in the head, knocking her to the ground, Luque wrote. The other two women returned to help Belcher-Blair.
When Jensen tried to grab the bat, Gardner directed his dog to bite her, Luque said. She also was struck with the bat during the altercation. Smith also was hit with the bat at least two times, Luque wrote.
The women returned to their vehicle, seeking to escape, and drove away. Gardner allegedly followed them for a period of time and then rammed their car with his in the 8700 block of Northeast 140th Avenue. Damage to the victims’ vehicle was in excess of $750, Luque said.
Gardner refused to cooperate with police and was not arrested until Thursday. He told investigators that the women had threatened to kill him, Luque wrote.
Judge Suzan Clark held Gardner in the Clark County Jail on Friday in lieu of $60,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Louis Byrd to defend him. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Dec. 30.
Gardner’s criminal history includes violating a civil anti-harassment order, third-degree driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, driving under the influence, harassment and fourth-degree assault.
