Camas man accused of assault appears in court

A Camas man arrested for assaulting his brother and ex-girlfriend made his first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Monday.

The charges against Justin Matthew Gibson, 36, include two counts of first degree domestic violence assault and two counts of second-degree domestic violence assault.

Judge Gregory Gonzales set bail at $250,000. As of Aug. 10, Justin Gibson remains lodged in the Clark County Jail. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred Aug. 6 at approximately 1:30 p.m., when Camas Police Department officers responded to an assault that had just occurred at 1732 N.W. Sixth Court.

The female victim had escaped to a neighbor’s house and stated she had just been assaulted by Gibson, her former boyfriend.

The woman told police Gibson choked her and struck her in the head with a baseball bat. She was transported by ambulance to the hospital.

Gibson was arrested at the scene.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the woman told officers that she went to the house to drop off some dog treats.

“[Justin Gibson] told her she shouldn’t have showed up there because ‘today’s the day you are going to die,” the document stated.

According to a press release, during the subsequent investigation police discovered dried blood and other evidence of an assault that had occurred inside this same residence.

Police then learned that Gibson had also assaulted his brother, Joseph Levi Gibson, the previous day. This incident had not been reported to authorities.

The investigation revealed that Joseph Gibson had been admitted to PeaceHeath Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver on Aug. 5, with serious injuries. He had been driven to the hospital by Justin Gibson, who told hospital staff that Joseph Gibson had fallen out of a tree.

Joseph Gibson’s injuries included multiple broken bones, as well as significant bruising, internal injuries, a gunshot wound to the leg, and burns from a cigarette and cigar.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Justin Gibson told police that on Aug. 4 he shot his brother in the leg with a .22 caliber rifle, and then on Aug. 5 he beat him with items such as a golf club, metal bat, wooden sticks and a billy club.

Both victims are expected to survive their injuries.

According to CPD Sgt. David Chaney, the motivation for both assaults appears to be Justin Gibson’s belief that his brother and ex-girlfriend were attempting to frame him for a crime and poison him.

“We have not found any evidence of anyone trying to frame him nor poison him, and in reality neither would justify the treatment these victims received,” Chaney said. “A reasonable person would have reported these suspicions to the police rather than act out in such an extremely violent way.”

Joseph Gibson and Justin Gibson were recently involved in a separate incident that attracted the attention of law enforcement in Clackamas County, Oregon, on July 24.

The brothers were alleged to have been involved in a botched fake-kidnapping scheme with their roommate, John R. McPhail. This situation was later determined to be an effort by McPhail to extort money from his mother.

According to an Oregon State Police press release, on the morning of July 24 McPhail, 57, fell out of a silver Dodge Neon headed northbound on Interstate 205 near Johnston Creek Boulevard, and it came to a stop. McPhail’s hands were bound behind his back, and a bag was over his head

Two males got out of the car and approached McPhail, but as witnesses stopped at the scene they returned to their vehicle. One witness attempted to flatten a tire on the Neon before it left the scene.

McPhail was arrested for initiating a false report and first degree conspiracy to commit theft. He was booked into the Clackamas County Jail.