Camas City Council Member Svilarich Arrested, Faces Felony, Misdemeanor Charges

Camas, WA — Camas Police records reveal the details that led to the September 13th arrest of Camas City Council member, John Svilarich. The City of Camas is directing questions on the incident to the police report and county prosector’s office.

Svilarich, 66, according to the police records, was charged with two crimes (reckless endangerment and aiming/discharging a firearm) following a verbal altercation with a fisherman and a pedestrian that occurred on August 31 along the Washougal River Greenway trail in Camas.

The Camas Police Department said the charges against Svilarich stem from 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.”

In a document filed by Camas Police detective Gary Manning, Camas Police were dispatched to the scene at the trail just before 8 am on Saturday, August 31 following a 911 call. Daniel Beaudoin, 46, of Portland, reported that a man — allegedly Svilarich — threw a rock at him from a pedestrian bridge and “pointed a firearm at him soon after.”

Police say Beaudoin was fishing when Svilarich, who was walking the trail with John Neumann, allegedly confronted Beaudoin because he threw a cigarette butt on the ground.

“They both yelled and cussed at each other,” police said, adding that Svilarich and Neumann “continued on the trail, north of the bridge” following the verbal altercation . The police report said that when Svilarich and Neumann returned heading south over the pedestrian bridge, 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,” the police report said. “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.”

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

And the arguing continued with both men standing at least 40 feet from one another. The police report said Svilarich allegedly “pulled out a black firearm pistol and pointed it in the direction of Beaudoin.”

The fisherman told police he ran back to the river’s edge 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.”

Camas Police confirmed that Svilarich was carrying a black Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun “concealed in his back right waistband of his pants.” 

Svilarich does have a concealed-carry license.

In the report, Camas police said “originally [Svilarich] denied having a firearm, then stated he had one but did not display it.”  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.”

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.”