WASHINGTON COUNTY, FL - A female victim is recovering after she escaped from a storage container where she was brutally attacked and sexually assaulted by a vicious man.
According to FOX13, the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said that a passerby on Douglas Ferry Road called 911 on Monday around 4:20 p.m., saying he found a woman who was the victim of a brutal attack. The caller told the dispatcher that the woman had been severely beaten and needed medical attention.
WCSO said that when emergency personnel arrived, the woman was still handcuffed and had duct tape around her neck. Authorities on scene said that the victim told them 40-year-old David Earl Gipson of Caryville showed up at her house and knocked on the door. When she opened the door, Gipson told her that her husband and brother-in-law were thieves and owed him money, and that he was irritated.
The woman said after that brief encounter, he began taking things from her house. He knocked her down to the ground, handcuffed her, and removed her clothing. The victim said that while she was on the ground naked, Gipson began attacking her mother-in-law. She said he struck her mother-in-law several times in the head.
The woman said the last time she saw her mother-in-law, her eyes were swollen shut and there was blood all over her face. WCSO said that Gipson then dragged the woman out of the house, put her in her mother-in-law's vehicle, and duct-taped her mouth.
Gipson drove her to his house, where the victim said he sexually assaulted her and said that he "could kill her." Deputies said that the woman told them Gipson took her to a shed and put her inside an oversize toolbox or storage container. WCSO said they believe the attack lasted throguhout most of Sunday night, April 27th.
WCSO Sheriff Kevin Crews said during a briefing, "She was naked. Still handcuffed and duct-taped around her mouth. He put a rope over her neck and tucker 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."
After several hours, the victim was able to get her legs out from underneath her body and kicked the plywood and other debris Gibson had placed on top of the box to keep her contained. Crews said:
"She got out of the shed and then ran for her life. At on 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 roadeway where a passerby saw her. He stopped, picked her up and immediately called 911."
The car Gipson took the woman in was a 2001 PT Crusier that belonged to a woman identified as 74-year-old Lettie Cooper Collins. That woman has been identified as the victim's mother-in-law, who Gipson beat to death. Crews said he looked at Collin's body and believed she was "beat to a pulp."
A warrant was issued for Gipson on charges of sexual battery, aggravated battery, and false imprisonment. The sheriff said they are also seeking murder charges for the death of Collins.
Gipson is a career offender with 33 felony charges stemming back to 1999, ending with a stint in the Washington County Jail in March 2025. He's been charged with burglaries, armed burglaries, and arson. Crews said Gipson had been to prison on eight different occasions. Deputies worked around the clock to find Gipson and arrest him.
He was located and arrested on Tuesday, April 29th. Crews did not disclose the condition of the victim, but he did say she is expected to survive.
According to FOX13, the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said that a passerby on Douglas Ferry Road called 911 on Monday around 4:20 p.m., saying he found a woman who was the victim of a brutal attack. The caller told the dispatcher that the woman had been severely beaten and needed medical attention.
WCSO said that when emergency personnel arrived, the woman was still handcuffed and had duct tape around her neck. Authorities on scene said that the victim told them 40-year-old David Earl Gipson of Caryville showed up at her house and knocked on the door. When she opened the door, Gipson told her that her husband and brother-in-law were thieves and owed him money, and that he was irritated.
The woman said after that brief encounter, he began taking things from her house. He knocked her down to the ground, handcuffed her, and removed her clothing. The victim said that while she was on the ground naked, Gipson began attacking her mother-in-law. She said he struck her mother-in-law several times in the head.
The woman said the last time she saw her mother-in-law, her eyes were swollen shut and there was blood all over her face. WCSO said that Gipson then dragged the woman out of the house, put her in her mother-in-law's vehicle, and duct-taped her mouth.
Gipson drove her to his house, where the victim said he sexually assaulted her and said that he "could kill her." Deputies said that the woman told them Gipson took her to a shed and put her inside an oversize toolbox or storage container. WCSO said they believe the attack lasted throguhout most of Sunday night, April 27th.
WCSO Sheriff Kevin Crews said during a briefing, "She was naked. Still handcuffed and duct-taped around her mouth. He put a rope over her neck and tucker 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."
After several hours, the victim was able to get her legs out from underneath her body and kicked the plywood and other debris Gibson had placed on top of the box to keep her contained. Crews said:
"She got out of the shed and then ran for her life. At on 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 roadeway where a passerby saw her. He stopped, picked her up and immediately called 911."
The car Gipson took the woman in was a 2001 PT Crusier that belonged to a woman identified as 74-year-old Lettie Cooper Collins. That woman has been identified as the victim's mother-in-law, who Gipson beat to death. Crews said he looked at Collin's body and believed she was "beat to a pulp."
A warrant was issued for Gipson on charges of sexual battery, aggravated battery, and false imprisonment. The sheriff said they are also seeking murder charges for the death of Collins.
Gipson is a career offender with 33 felony charges stemming back to 1999, ending with a stint in the Washington County Jail in March 2025. He's been charged with burglaries, armed burglaries, and arson. Crews said Gipson had been to prison on eight different occasions. Deputies worked around the clock to find Gipson and arrest him.
He was located and arrested on Tuesday, April 29th. Crews did not disclose the condition of the victim, but he did say she is expected to survive.
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