Police records shed light on Svilarich arrest

Camas councilman faces criminal charges related to Aug. 31 argument on Washougal River Greenway trail

By Kelly Moyer
September 26, 2024 1:02 pm
Camas, Latest News, News

A sign greets visitors at the entrance to the Washougal River Greenway pedestrian bridge in Camas, July 22, 2022. (Kelly Moyer/Post-Record files)

Camas police records are shedding more light on the events preceding the Sept. 13 arrest of a Camas City Council member.

Councilman John Svilarich, 66, was charged with two misdemeanor crimes — reckless endangerment and aiming/discharging a firearm — following an argument that occurred Aug. 31 along the Washougal River Greenway trail in Camas.

According to a news release issued by the Camas Police Department, the charges against Svilarich are related to a “disturbance” that “began as a verbal argument between a fisherman along the river, and a pedestrian who was walking along the greenway trail and over the pedestrian footbridge.”

A probable cause document filed by Camas police detective Gary Manning, shows Camas police were dispatched to the Greenway trail at 7:52 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, following a 911 call from Daniel Beaudoin, 46, of Portland, who reported that a man — later identified by police as Svilarich — had thrown a rock at him from a pedestrian bridge and “pointed a firearm at him soon after.”

Police say Beaudoin had been fishing on the south bank of the Washougal River, near the Greenway trail pedestrian bridge that Saturday morning, when Svilarich, who was walking the trail with his Labrador retriever dog and his friend, John Neumann, allegedly confronted Beaudoin over his improper disposal of a cigarette butt.

“They both yelled and cussed at each other,” police stated in the probable-cause document, adding that Svilarich and Neumann “continued on the trail, north of the bridge” following the argument.

When Svilarich and Neumann passed back over the pedestrian bridge, heading south, Beaudoin told police that Svilarich threw a rock in his direction.

“During this pass (over the bridge), Svilarich was observed, by another witness, looking over the bridge railing two times,” police stated in their report. “A rock, approximately 5 to 8 inches was thrown or dropped … by Svilarich off the bridge, which is at a height of approximately 50 feet above the river” and landed “in close proximity to Beaudoin.”

Police say Beaudoin walked to the trail and “verbally confronted Svilarich for throwing the rock.”

Both men engaged in more verbal sparring, police said, standing at least 40 feet from one another before Svilarich allegedly “pulled out a black firearm pistol and pointed it in the direction of Beaudoin.”

The fisherman told police he retreated to the river bank and that “Svilarich moved down the main trail path in the direction towards where Beaudoin had been standing, shifting the firearm between having the firearm pointed at Beaudoin and pointing at the ground,” according to the probable-cause document.

When police arrived and confronted Svilarich, they found the city councilman was carrying a black Walther 9mm, semi-automatic handgun “concealed in his back right waistband of his pants,” according to the police report, and also had a concealed-carry license.

Police said Svilarich “originally denied having a firearm, then stated he had one but did not display it,” according to the report, which added that Svilarich later told police he had pulled his firearm but had not pointed it at Beaudoin but, instead, “had it at ‘low ready’ to protect himself.”

Police stated in the probable-cause report that Svilarich also admitted to throwing the rock off the pedestrian bridge “but stated he did not know Beaudoin was in the vicinity of where it landed.”

An incident report filed by Camas police officer David Chaney on Aug. 31, stated that Svilarich told responding officers he would not point a firearm at someone.

“I … explained that someone reported Svilarich pointed a gun at them,” Chaney stated in his report. “Svilarich responded, ‘That’s not true. I wouldn’t do that.” I asked why someone would make up a story like that and Svilarich responded, ‘He’s an asshole.’ I asked how the person even knew he was in possession of a firearm and Svilarich claimed, ‘I don’t know.’ I challenged Svilarich by suggesting it is probably not just a lucky guess. Svilarich responded, ‘It could be. (Three-quarters) of a million people in Washington have a concealed permit.’”

According to police reports, Svilarich showed Chaney the gun holstered to his waistband and his concealed carry permit, and told officers he is a certified pistol instructor and certified range instructor.

“He says he last fired the Walther 9mm between (one and two) months ago, at the range,” Chaney reported of Svilarich. “He would not voluntarily submit to any further examination of the gun, nor would he voluntarily allow police to seize his weapon.”

Officers allowed Svilarich’s friend, Neumann, who said he was running late for an event, to leave the scene before being interviewed, but said they had made arrangements to interview Neumann later, on the phone.

According to the police report, Svilarich told Chaney he had seen the fisherman (Beaudoin) throw a cigarette butt into the river and had “called him out about it.”

“Svilarich said the fisherman was calling him names and tried to get Svilarich to come down to the water’s edge and fight him,” Chaney stated in his report. “Svilarich declined. He said, ‘We went on our way and then he (Beaudoin) accosted us in the end.’”

Chaney asked for an explanation of what Svilarich meant when he said he was “accosted.”

“Svilarich said they left and walked up the trail (but that) the fisherman continued to call him names and then walked up to the trail and got between (Svilarich and Neumann) … stood in the middle of the trail” and called Svilarich obscene names.

Later, according to Chaney’s report, Svilarich admitted that he had shown Beaudoin his firearm, but maintained he had never pointed the gun at the fisherman.

“He said, ‘I told (Beaudoin) to back up and go away. I did not point it at him. I did not brandish it. I had the gun at low ready,’” Chaney stated in his report, referring to Svilarich. “The man was being aggressive and Svilarich says he felt threatened, (telling the officer): ‘He’s a large man, carrying a couple fishing poles, and he was being aggressive.’”

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Chaney also interviewed Beaudoin and asked him to explain what had happened that morning.

“He said he was fishing in the river beneath the bridge and smoking a cigarette,” Chaney stated about Beaudoin. “He threw his cigarette on the ground when he was finished. Some guy yelled down at him, saying, ‘You’re a real class act,” (and) Beaudoin told the guy he’d pick it up before he leaves. The guy (Svilarich) then started cussing him out. Beaudoin responded by (yelling obscenities and telling Svilarich) to get out of there.”

According to Chaney’s report, Beaudoin eventually admitted that he had challenged Svilarich “to a fight of sorts,” but said that, when Svilarich continued along the trail, Beaudoin thought the incident was over and continued fishing.

“About 10 to 20 minutes later, the (two) guys are back on the bridge,” Chaney stated in his report. “Then a large rock gets thrown off the bridge and lands right next to Beaudoin. He estimates the rock was about 8 inches in diameter and landed 2 feet away from him.”

Beaudoin told Chaney he then walked up from beneath the pedestrian bridge and caught up to Svilarich and Neumann on the trail, where he confronted Svilarich about throwing the rock.

Chaney stated in his report that Beaudoin said Svilarch then “drew a gun from the right side of his waistband, pointed it directly at Beaudoin, and said, ‘I’d back up if I were you.’”

Beaudoin told Chaney he was about 50 feet away from Svilarich when the alleged gun-pointing occurred, and that he then called Svilarich “a pussy,” and walked away.

“He says Svilarich kept the gun aimed at him the whole time as he walked away,” Chaney stated in his report, referring to Beaudoin. “(He) yelled at Svilarich to ‘get the … gun off me’ as he walked away.”

Beaudoin said he called 911 after walking away from Svilarich.

When Chaney told the fisherman that Svilarich maintained he had kept his gun at “low ready” during the incident, Beaudoin, according to the police report, responded that this was false and that Svilarich had pointed the gun “directly” at him.

A Washougal resident described in Chaney’s report as an acquaintance of Beaudoin’s, was also fishing under the bridge that morning, and told police he had witnessed two men “peek over the bridge railing and then duck backwards.” Then, he said he saw “the guy with white hair and glasses (Svilarich) throw a rock off the bridge,” which he said landed in the water “right in front of Beaudoin.”

The witness told Chaney he saw Beaudoin leave the river’s edge and walk to the trail, but said he could not see or hear what was occurring at that point, but that Beaudoin returned a few moments later, and told him, “The guy pulled a gun on me.”

Chaney’s report stated that, when he told Svilarich he was free to leave on the morning of Aug. 31, the city councilor added that he has owned guns “for many years and has never taken a gun out in a public place before” that day.

Svilarich told Chaney he is “a careful gun owner and knows the rules.”

“He also said, in retrospect, he should have probably called 911 himself,” Chaney stated in his report. “We also discussed his dishonest responses initially. (Svilarich) said he was anxious and has never had this type of interaction with police before.”

Police continued to investigate the incident following the initial Aug. 31 interviews and arrested Svilarich on Friday, Sept. 13, charging him with the two misdemeanor crimes.

Svilarich, who won his at-large Camas City Council race in November 2023, has since hired Vancouver criminal defense attorney Jon J. McMullen to represent him.

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