A homeless man is accused of stabbing a man who had ripped up artwork he was selling outside of Dollar Tree in Camas.
Michael Van Gelder, 35, appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault and a dangerous weapon violation. His bail was set at $100,000, and he is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 10.
Police responded Saturday to the Dollar Tree at 3300 N.E. Third Ave. in Camas for reports of a disturbance with a weapon.
A Washougal police officer arrived and reported that one man had been stabbed and the officer had another man at gunpoint, according to a probable cause affidavit. Other officers arrived and detained a man, later identified as Van Gelder.
Officers also provided medical aid to a man, identified as Timothy Krull-Thompson. They said he suffered a stab wound to his left armpit, lower left side and center abdomen. He also had a laceration on his right wrist, near the base of his thumb, and a wound on the back of his head from falling and hitting his head on the ground, court records state.
Krull-Thompson’s wife told police she had told her husband about Van Gelder’s artwork, which she thought was offensive. She said her husband went to talk to Van Gelder and ran back to their car with two of Van Gelder’s drawings that depicted female breasts. She said her husband tore up the pictures and threw them to the ground, according to court records.
She said Van Gelder chased after her husband, and they began arguing. At one point, she said, Van Gelder grabbed her husband around the abdomen, and he fell to the ground. Then Van Gelder stabbed her husband two or three times, according to the affidavit.
Van Gelder told officers he had spent hours on his artwork and displayed the drawings to sell. He said Krull-Thompson approached him and began yelling about having a wife and kids. He also said Krull-Thompson tore up two of his drawings, so he chased after him.
Van Gelder said Krull-Thompson grabbed his shoulder and his groin before he pulled out his knife. He said Krull-Thompson fell on his knife twice. He said Krull-Thompson maintained his hold on him during the entire scuffle, court records state.
Police said in the affidavit that the knife Van Gelder had was a spring-blade knife.
