A Philomath man pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from a stabbing on Saturday that police said followed a dispute over stolen gasoline.
Tommie Lee Willis, 65, is charged with two felonies — first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Benton County Circuit Court. During a court appearance on Monday, Willis denied the allegations and was appointed a public defender, according to court records.
Philomath police were dispatched to the 300 block of North 14th Street at approximately 6:59 p.m. Saturday after a caller reported her husband had been stabbed by a neighbor, the affidavit states. Officers arrived within minutes to find the victim, a 53-year-old man, slumped over and holding his abdomen, with visible blood on his hand and shirt, according to the affidavit.
“He was bleeding and they were applying pressure … then shortly after identifying him and getting a brief summary of what had taken place, they detained Tommy Willis and later he was taken to jail,” Philomath Chief of Police Dave Gurski said.
According to the affidavit, Willis was located inside the fenced area and taken into custody without incident. Officers reported observing no knife or blood on Willis at the time of his arrest.
“They ended up having to lock down that property and apply for some search warrants — those were granted the next morning,” Gurski said. “We had a group of officers that were there to serve those. … They did end up seizing a knife out there.”
The property is described in the affidavit as a roughly one-acre unpaved lot with a fenced section containing multiple trailers, outbuildings, vehicles and debris, where officers say they know multiple people reside. The property in previous years had been the site of a wood pallet-manufacturing business..
“The call came out right as graveyard (shift) was coming on and so we had four officers on,” Gurski said. “We had two sergeants and two officers that were able to respond immediately.”
Philomath Fire and Rescue responded with emergency medical personnel. The victim was transported to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.
The affidavit outlines conflicting statements from Willis and the victim about what led to the incident. Willis told police he had recently returned home from Corvallis when the man confronted him and accused him of stealing gasoline, an allegation Willis denied, according to the affidavit. Willis said he went to show the man a new generator when the man pushed him at least three times. Willis told officers he never had a knife and never struck or pushed him, and suggested the man could have been cut by tools or other items in the area, the affidavit states. Willis also told police he believed the man had been using methamphetamine.
The victim gave a different account to an officer in an interview at the hospital, according to the affidavit. He said he approached Willis to ask that stolen gasoline be replaced and was standing 2 to 3 feet away when Willis became upset, told him “not right now, not right now, I’m gonna stab you,” and then stabbed him, the affidavit states. He said he did not immediately realize he had been stabbed until he felt his shirt getting wet and later saw a black knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade in Willis’ hand, according to the affidavit.
A witness on the property told a responding sergeant she heard screaming and was told the man had been stabbed by Willis, the affidavit states. She also reported hearing Willis say “what knife, I don’t have a knife” and seeing him throw a black object over his trailer into a debris-filled area, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, medical staff at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center told police the man’s wound was deep enough to enter his abdominal cavity and that he would require surgery.
“We still have some follow-up that needs to be done,” Gurski said. “There’s some evidence that needs to be sent off to the lab.”
Willis was booked into the Benton County Jail following his arrest. The first-degree assault charge qualifies as a Measure 11 offense, which establishes strict, mandatory minimum prison sentences for specific serious felony offenses.
Willis appeared in Benton County Circuit Court Monday with appointed defense attorney Dan Armstrong. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations, court records show.
The case was continued to Aug. 3 for a status hearing.
