Police say a Clark County man pointed a loaded gun and threatened two building inspectors Sunday as they were trying to check on a neighboring property north of Camas.
Raymond Arthur Myers, 58, made his first appearance in court Monday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree assault, after he was arrested for allegedly threatening the inspectors.
According to court records, Christopher and Christine Kokich told police they went Sunday to inspect a vacant house at 5009 N.E. 237th Ave., as part of their contract with a mortgage company.
Christopher Kokich said he waited in their car, which was parked in the home’s driveway, while Christine Kokich, his wife, went to check out the house.
About 10 minutes later, he told police, he saw a man, later identified as Myers, standing at the home’s back door and pointing a large handgun toward the doorway.
Christopher Kokich said he got out to tell Myers they were building inspectors, but Myers shouted and swore, accusing the couple of burglarizing his home, which court records list as nearby.
Christopher Kokich said he continued to try explaining who they were, with his hands up, as Myers continued pointing his handgun at the couple.
According to court records, Christopher Kokich said Myers, after several minutes, lowered his gun then headed toward the tree line and out of sight.
Christine Kokich told investigators they had been to the property twice before, once in January and again in February, and they had a work order and code to access a lockbox containing a key to the home.
She told police she was leaving a small room in the house when she encountered a large man with a handgun aimed at her, screaming at her that she was breaking in to the house.
She tried to identify herself, verbally or by getting him to look at the ID badge on her coat, according to court records, but the man kept screaming at her.
She told police Myers had his index finger around the trigger, and said he was shaking so much she thought he was about to shoot her.
She had her phone in her hand, and called 911 as Myers shouted at her not to move, she told police. Once she made the call, the man backed away toward the trees.
When questioned by police, Myers explained he lives nearby, and he owns the property the couple had come to inspect.
According to court records, he told police he went to confront the two when he got a call from his aunt, who also lives nearby, about two strangers on the property.
He said he backed away from the confrontation after several minutes, and dropped his handgun in the brush as he headed into the trees. When he heard sirens, he walked back to the house, where police told him to get on the ground.
He also told investigators he did see some kind of badge on the woman in the house, but didn’t know what it was, according to court records.
Court records also show Myers told police the handgun was loaded and had a round in the chamber. Investigators recovered the handgun as evidence.
Myers posted bond for $10,000 bail, according to the Clark County Jail, and his next court date was scheduled for March 23.
