Jury finds Worth guilty of attempted murder

OKANOGAN – A jury found Pateros resident Mark Reynolds Worth guilty of attempted murder while armed with a firearm and drive-by shooting earlier this month after he fired two shots at Brewster businessman Cass Gebbers during an encounter north of Brewster almost three years ago.

Worth, 48, was declared guilty of the changes in Okanogan County Superior Court before judge Henry Rawson on August 8 after a jury deliberated for approximately two hours before returning its verdict. Worth attempted to kill John W. Cascade “Cass” Gebbers, 55, CEO of Gebbers Farms, on Sept. 7, 2016, when he fired two shots from a handgun at Gebbers as the two were driving north in separate vehicles on State Route 97 Alternate.

Gebbers was northbound in his 2016 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup on old Highway 97 near the Electrodynamics COMSAT complex when Worth, driving a late-model BMW sedan, pulled up beside him, rolled down his passenger side window and fired twice at Gebbers. One bullet shattered the drivers side window of Gebbers’ pickup and lodged in the driver’s seat headrest. A second bullet struck the door post.

According to details released by then-sheriff Frank Rogers, Gebbers braked his pickup, reversed course and returned to Brewster to report the incident. He had recognized Worth as the shooter and told Rogers there had been some past unusual encounters with Worth of a minor nature.

Worth fled the scene and was later taken into custody in Wenatchee.

Okanogan County Prosecuting Attorney Arian Noma told The Quad that Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor David Stevens handled the prosecution while Noma “reviewed Mr. Stevens; trial strategy and helped in trial preparation.”

“Given the size of our office and that we are down a DPA (I) was not able to participate in the trial,” Noma said. 

Worth, who did not testify in his defense, was represented by Okanogan County attorneys Melissa MacDougal, Esq., and Randy Thies, Esq.

Testifying for the prosecution along with Gebbers was his son, Wade Gebbers, Jerrod Riggan, Reggie Collins, Okanogan County Sheriff Sargeant Kevin Arnold, and deputies Kreg Sloan, Rob Heyem, and Kevin Kinman.

“The Department of Corrections will do a presentence investigation which will be sent to the judge and the parties,” said Noma. “The defense may have a mitigation expert prepare a report to submit to the court.”

Worth is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1, 2019.