Calls about homeless camps are nothing new along Mabert Road—but this one escalated fast.
Around 8:30 a.m., officers were called after a neighbor reported people fighting in a tent on a hillside behind a home, with a woman screaming for help.
Then the calls started stacking up.
Another 911 call came in—this time a man yelling at a woman, claiming she was walking down the road barefoot. Moments later, a third caller reported a man chasing a red-haired woman down an alley and hitting her.
By the time officers got into the area near the wooded section south of the former Big Lots building, they found the pair.
The man took off into the woods.
It didn’t last long.
Officers caught up with him and took him into custody. Daniel Sowards, who lists his address as homeless, was arrested on charges of domestic violence and obstructing official business.
He later appeared in Portsmouth Municipal Court, where a preliminary hearing was set for April 23.
🔎 NOT HIS FIRST RUN-IN
Court records show this isn’t a new situation.
Sowards has a long history of arrests, including:
- Aggravated menacing
- Drug abuse
- Discharging a firearm
- Felonious assault
- Aggravated burglary
- Assault
- Criminal trespass
- Persistent disorderly conduct
- Escape
He was also arrested as recently as January for disorderly conduct.
👀 A GROWING ISSUE
Incidents like this are becoming a regular call in the Mabert Road area, where tent camps have been popping up.
When fights break out in those settings, they can turn dangerous fast—especially when multiple people are involved and help is called from different directions at once.
