Arrest made after Madras parking lot fight

A 28-year-old Jefferson County man has been arrested on several charges stemming from a Madras parking lot fight late last month, accused of having a gun stolen after a crash on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and trying to throw it under a car when police arrived.

Daniel Frank Gilbert, 28, had a knife wound to his chest when police were called to the parking lot altercation on Southwest D Street near Fourth Street around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30, Madras police Detective Sergeant Steve Webb said Tuesday.

Webb had said late last month that about 20 to 30 people were involved in the parking lot fight, many of whom fled as police showed up.

Gilbert was taken by medics to St. Charles Madras for treatment. However, Webb said there were no punctures or cuts to the shirt Gilbert was wearing, and based on information that was obtained, it’s believed Gilbert caused the wound to himself.

An investigation determined that an argument broke out at a Madras tavern, with some people going outside and confronting each other in the parking lot, Webb said in a news release.

He said Gilbert retrieved a handgun from a car parked nearby and it was knocked out of his hand, causing the gun’s magazine to dislodge. Gilbert tried to reload the gun but was unable to do so before police showed up.

Webb said Gilbert discarded the gun by trying to throw it under a car, then walked across the street and sat down behind another car as more officers arrived to assess the situation.

A closed folding knife was found near Gilbert, with apparent blood on it, Webb said.

The investigation determined the gun was stolen from a crash in the jurisdiction of Warm Springs police and Gilbert was one of two suspects in that theft.

A warrant was issued to arrest Gilbert on several felony crimes, including first-degree theft of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and first- and second-degree attempted assault, as well as a misdemeanor menacing charge, Webb said.

Madras police learned Monday of Gilbert’s location and contacted Warm Springs police, who in turn found and arrested Gilbert on the outstanding warrant, Webb said. He was taken to the Jefferson County Jail and held initially on $110,000 bail, pending arraignment Tuesday afternoon. Webb said Madras police also submitted an affidavit listing a misdemeanor charge of initiating a false police report.

Court records showed Gilbert pleaded not guilty to the charges at Tuesday’s arraignment on the indictment. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Daina Vitolins set bail at $50,000 and scheduled a status check hearing in a week.