Thurston County man accused of pointing gun at neighbors over music

Bail was set at $5,000 for a Thurston County man accused of threatening his neighbors at gunpoint in an argument about noise.

Benjamin Thomas Beckham, 59, appeared Monday in Thurston County Superior Court on two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon. Arraignment was set for Sept. 13.

Court documents give the following account:

Thurston County deputies responded to a disturbance between neighbors about 8 p.m. Sunday in the 3900 block of Grove Road Northwest, near the Olympia Country and Golf Club.

Seven friends were sitting on the back patio listening to music from one of their cellphones. Witnesses say next-door neighbor Beckham came over unannounced with a pistol in his hand, yelled at the group to quiet down, and pointed the pistol at two of the people.

One of the people showed a deputy a cellphone photo of Beckham holding a pistol while angrily pointing a finger.

Deputies went next door and contacted Beckham, who smelled intoxicated, according to the report. Beckham told deputies he had confronted the neighbors, but had only brought the pistol for protection.

At the scene, Beckham voluntarily handed over his black and silver Sig Sauer Mosquito, a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

The weapon was in a case and contained two loaded magazines.

At Monday’s preliminary court hearing, Judge Erik Price said Beckham has no prior criminal history. Beckham was ordered to surrender his firearms and abstain from alcohol.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Thurston County man accused of pointing gun at neighbors over music."