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Pair who attacked man with bats sentenced

By Jerzy Shedlock, Columbian Breaking News Reporter
Published: January 10, 2019, 7:55pm

A couple who attacked a man with baseball bats, breaking his nose and jaw at a Bagley Downs park in June, were both sentenced Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court.

Damien A. Gaustad, 20, was sentenced to nine months in jail after pleading guilty to third-degree assault as part of a plea agreement. He was originally arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault for the early morning incident at the Marketplace Apartments park.

Reyna Diaz, 22, was sentenced to a month in jail after she pleaded to a reduced charge of fourth-degree assault. She initially faced second-degree assault for her role in the attack.

Vancouver police were called shortly before 12:50 a.m. to the apartments at 2900 General Anderson Ave. for a weapons disturbance and assault, emergency dispatch records showed. The victim, Richard Barrera, told police he had been assaulted by a man and woman with metal baseball bats near the basketball court, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Barrera said the woman, later identified by police as Diaz, swung her bat at him, but he blocked it with his hand. The male assailant, later identified as Gaustad, then knocked him to the ground. While on the ground, Diaz struck him in the back with the bat, the affidavit states.

Gaustad told police that he was in a confrontation with about five people at the park and hit Barrera with the bat at least twice. Witnesses said that Barrera punched Gaustad in the face first and Gaustad hit him back with the bat, according to a separate affidavit of probable cause.

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Columbian Breaking News Reporter