Man accused of assaulting stranger appears in court

A Vancouver man accused of assaulting an 84-year-old man in his front yard made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Friday.

David P. Ryel, 35, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of second-degree assault in connection with the incident.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the alleged victim, Milton Webb, was in the front yard of his residence at 3118 N.E. 42nd St. in Vancouver when he was assaulted by an unknown man on his front porch. Milton said the man, later identified as Ryel, pointed at him and said, “I told you were the devil three times now, and now I’m going to kill you.”

Milton told police he was unable to flee in time. Ryel charged at him and forced Milton to the ground. Milton said he suffered injuries to his upper lip and right hand. When he tried to get up, Ryel began to strangle him from behind.

He said he believed Ryel was going to kill him, court records said.

When police arrived, they found Ryel across the street from Milton’s residence. They said they suspected Ryel was under the influence of a mind-altering narcotic, the affidavit says.

During his hearing on Friday, Ryel told Judge Robert Lewis that he didn’t know what was going on.

Lewis appointed attorney Chris Ramsay to represent Ryel.

His bail was set at $50,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 23.