A Portland man who may have been plotting an armed, violent attack to take place at a climbing event at Smith Rock last weekend made his first court appearance in Deschutes County Friday.
Samson Garner, 39, is facing multiple counts of attempted murder, assault and unlawful use of a weapon. He appeared by video in Deschutes County Circuit Court.
The only words Garner uttered Friday were “My name is Samson Garner” when asked to identify himself.
No change to Garner’s bail was requested. It remains at $10 million.
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Garner was arrested last Thursday in Deschutes County, the day before the start of the three-day Craggin’ Classic at Smith Rock. The arrest came days after the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said it received a warning from the Portland Police Bureau about Garner.
According to court documents, the people being targeted were listed as “Belayer 1” and “Belayer 2” — references to people who hold safety ropes for climbers. “Spectator 1” and “Spectator 2” were also listed as potential targets.
Documents from Multnomah County released this week show Garner allegedly sent an email to a woman he recently ended a relationship with. In that email, Garner allegedly states he was reminded about the Craggin’ Classic and that he thought of killing people rock climbing there.
