After a lady he reportedly abused and imprisoned in a storage container fled, a Florida man was caught in a wooded region in Washington County.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reports that 40-year-old David Earl Gipson has been taken into custody on suspicion of sexual battery, aggravated battery, and false imprisonment.
When emergency medical personnel and police enforcement arrived on the scene, the woman—who remained anonymous—was badly battered and required medical assistance, according to deputies.
The woman told the sheriff’s office that Gipson arrived to her house, got angry, and began assaulting her. She also allegedly told deputies that he punched her, threatened to murder her, and gagged and shackled her.
In addition, Gibson is charged with pulling her from the house after allegedly sexually abusing her and hitting her with a firearm and a blunt instrument.
According to WCSO, he allegedly took her to his house using her mother-in-law’s car, where he allegedly mistreated her before placing her in a container outside in the yard.
“She was naked. Still handcuffed and duct-taped around her mouth,” Sheriff Kevin Crews said of the victim’s condition during a news conference. “He put a rope over her neck and tucked her legs up underneath her. If you can picture what a hog tie looks like, that’s what he did to her. She stated she got very hot and thought she was going to suffocate and die.”
The woman eventually managed to kick the board holding her in place and loosen her legs, releasing herself.
“She got out of the shed and then ran for her life,” the sheriff stated. “At one point she told us that once she was away from the house, she used a tree to remove her – she’s handcuffed behind her back – she used a tree to remove the duct tape from around her mouth. At that time, she made her way to the edge of a roadway where a passerby saw her. He stopped, picked her up and immediately called 911.”
According to the sheriff, another woman, Lettie Cooper Collins, 74, who was also the mother-in-law of the first victim, was discovered dead and beaten “to a pulp” in her house.
According to the sheriff’s office, Gipson has been incarcerated eight times and has about 33 criminal charges total, dating back to 1999.
He has been charged with arson and several counts of burglary, including armed burglary.
As the spokesperson for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Crews expressed regret for the “horrific event [that] has happened to this family.”
He commended the community for its patience and support and thanked other organisations for their assistance in catching Gipson, saying that images were crucial.
