Woman Arrested for Hitting Man with Driftwood in Dispute Over Glass Float on Oregon Coast Beach

Published 04/25/26 at 5:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – A woman was arrested in Lincoln City on Tuesday morning after witnesses say she struck a man several times with a piece driftwood during a dispute over a glass float.

According to Lincoln County court documents, the Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) was dispatched shortly after 9:30 a.m. following calls from both individuals involved. An officer contacted a man who reported being hit several times in the back with what was termed a “large piece of driftwood,” saying this happened as the two raced toward a glass float. The officer noted the man appeared uninjured, though his rain jacket was substantially torn up in the back, which reportedly occurred because the woman had pulled on it numerous times.

The investigating officer said the man – identified as 46-year-old Wheeler King - rated his pain as three out of ten.

LCPD then spoke with the second party, identified as Michelle Dorcas Evans, 64. Evans told police the man had been behind her when they both spotted the float and that he began running, “pushing her to the side.”

She said she did not recall striking him, saying that a stick she was holding became caught on his jacket, tearing it when she pulled it free. The officer observed Evans holding a piece of driftwood roughly one inch thick and three to four feet long.

The incident took place near the Siletz Bay Lodge, which is right on the Siletz Bay – and a thin stretch of beach. A witness there corroborated the man’s account. She told police she saw both individuals running toward the southeast corner of the hotel, with the man in front, just as Evans began swinging the driftwood “over her head” and striking him in the upper back.

The witness said she did not see the man push Evans at any point before they moved out of her view.

Evans was arrested on charges of attempted unlawful use of a weapon, fourth-degree assault, harassment, and second-degree disorderly conduct. The woman was released after arraignment on Thursday and order to stay away from King.

Glass float drops are extremely popular in the central Oregon coast town, but this appears to be the first time finding one has resulted in an arrest for violence.

KGW and other media around the Northwest are reporting that Evans has had a history arrests and some convictions that could be associated with mental health issues.

She plead not guilty at an arraignment on Thursday and was released, while also ordered to stay away from King.

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