A brawl broke out during a June taping of a “Storage Wars” episode at a Devon Self Storage facility in Cathedral City, Calif. Video of the incident made public by network A&E in a teaser for upcoming episodes shows auctioneer Laura Dotson falling to the ground after husband and fellow auctioneer Dan Dotson confronted show regular David Hester. The June 19 occurrence reportedly escalated after Hester accused Dan Dotson of missing a bid, the source reported.
It’s not clear when the episode will air, although the new season for “Storage Wars” begins on Oct. 8, according to the source. The show was taped at the Devon property at 67650 E. Ramon Road.
On June 20, the Dotsons posted on their Facebook page that they were “a little sore, bruised and scratched up, but overall great,” according to the source.
Hester has long been portrayed as a villain on the reality show, often verbally sparring with fellow bidders and the Dotsons. He sued A&E in December 2012 for wrongful termination after being let go following claims the show was rigged. Hester returned to the series in 2014, the same season in which Dan Dotson suffered a double brain aneurysm. While Dotson was away from conducting auctions, Laura was the primary auctioneer for the show and had several conflicts with Hester.
The Dotsons own American Auctioneers, a San Bernardino, Calif.-based company specializing in self-storage and other types of auctions.
Devon Self Storage was No. 28 on the Inside Self-Storage 2015 Top-Operator’s List, an annual ranking of the industry’s 100 largest operators based on net rentable square feet. Devon’s entire portfolio comprises more than 3.6 million square feet in 17 states.
Sources:
- The Desert Sun: Video Out of ‘Storage Wars’ Brawl in Cathedral City
