Woman escapes storage container she was being held in after brutal attack, deputies say

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Fla. (WTVY/Gray News) - A man in Florida was arrested after a woman he allegedly assaulted and held in a storage container escaped.

David Earl Gipson, 40, was arrested on charges of murder, sexual battery, aggravated battery and false imprisonment, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman, who was not publicly identified, was severely beaten and needed medical attention when emergency medical services and law enforcement responded to the scene, deputies said.

The victim said Gipson visited her home, where he quickly became irate and started attacking her, along with her mother-in-law.

He allegedly then bound and gagged her, continued to beat her, and even threatened to kill her before taking her back to his home.

The victim said Gipson continued to abuse her at his home as well as sexually battered her. Gipson later put her in a container out in the yard that Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews described as an “oversized toolbox.”

She escaped and made her way to Douglas Ferry Road, where a passerby found her.

The victim is being treated at a local hospital.

WCSO believes the attack started Sunday and lasted through the night into Monday.

As deputies searched the victim’s home, they found her 74-year-old mother-in-law dead. Authorities said she had likely been beaten to death.

This is not Gipson’s first brush with law enforcement. Sheriff Crews said he has a record of 33 felonies with charges like arson and burglary.