James Beck makes a virtual appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
A Rainier man accused of robbing a man sitting on the curb of a Centralia convenience store at gunpoint made his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
James E. Beck, 31, who was accompanied by an unknown accomplice, was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher requested bail be set at $50,000.
“He doesn’t have any history that I know of however the allegations are rather serious … so the state is concerned about community safety,” Meagher said.
Beck’s attorney for the day, Rachael Tiller, said that her client asked to be released on a personal recognizance bond.
Judge James Lawler sided with the state and set bail at $50,000.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on June 25 a Centralia police officer responded to the AM/PM store on Harrison Avenue in Centralia for a report of a robbery.
When the officer arrived, he contacted a man who said he was sitting on the curb outside the store when two men pulled up in a truck and went into the store.
The alleged victim told the officer that prior to the suspects attempting to enter the store, one of them told the victim he was not sitting in a very safe spot because anything could happen, according to the affidavit.
When the two suspects approached the other man sitting on the curb, the taller man of the duo said “empty your pockets,” the alleged victim told police, and the shorter man, later identified as Beck, pulled out a silver firearm and pointed it at his cheek, according to the affidavit.
The alleged victim told police that Beck said, “Empty your pockets or get shot in the face,” according to the affidavit.
A day later, the officer received footage from the incident where the alleged victim was not in the picture, but the two suspects are seen running back to their vehicle.
Later in the day, Centralia police were notified that a deputy with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office made contact with the vehicle involved in the alleged robbery, and the driver of the vehicle was identified as Beck, according to the affidavit.
Beck agreed to speak with the responding officer where he admitted that he had contacted the alleged victim that night at the AM/PM store. However, he would not identify the taller suspect, only that he was “JD,” according to the affidavit.
Additionally, Beck admitted to hitting the alleged victim on the shoulder and telling him to empty his pockets, but when asked about the firearm, Beck said “JD” had a gun but not him, according to the affidavit.
Lawler scheduled Beck’s arraignment hearing for July 2.
