A reported military man faces felony charges after he allegedly pointed his handgun at another man following an argument involving a woman in the early hours of Valentine’s Day.
According to court documents, police indicated both men claimed to be dating the woman.
Anthony J. Benoit, 21, of Wichita, Kansas, made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday to determine bail for charges of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the assault charge.
Judge Joely Yeager set bail at $50,000 cash or bond, less than the $100,000 requested by the state. Upon making her ruling, Yeager acknowledged the potential threat to community safety based on the allegations, but noted Benoit’s lack of criminal history and the conditions and supervision he’d presumably be under as a member of the military.
According to Rachael Tiller, Benoit’s attorney for the day, the defendant resides at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The judge also entered an anti-harassment no-contact order on behalf of the victim, as well as an order for Benoit to surrender any weapons.
In its regular press log, Centralia police reported that Benoit “was arrested after being involved in a verbal argument over a female and reportedly pointed a firearm at (the) other person during the argument.”
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, police were dispatched to the initial firearms complaint at about 1:14 a.m. Feb. 14.
According to the affidavit, the victim reported that, after he had dropped off his girlfriend at an apartment complex in Centralia, a man “approached him aggressively while yelling,” then pulled a firearm from his hoodie and pointed it at the victim.
The victim said he was inside his vehicle at the time. He said he later received a Facebook message from Benoit that reportedly read, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
Police later located Benoit in the parking lot of the apartment complex. A frisk yielded no gun.
Speaking to police, the suspect reportedly admitted to a “verbal altercation” with the alleged victim, and said he was dating the same woman and that the victim was the ex-boyfriend.
He allegedly said he wrote the apology to the victim because the woman told him to.
Benoit denied having or pointing a gun, according to police.
Upon searching his vehicle, police discovered a box of 9mm ammunition. Benoit allegedly said it was “from when he went shooting in Kansas,” according to the affidavit.
The investigating officer initially left the scene due to the conflicting reports, but returned at about 2:42 a.m. after receiving a report of a woman involved in a “tussle” with the suspect.
The officer arrived as Benoit was leaving the scene. This time, a Lewis County Sheriff’s deputy “reported seeing a gun in Benoit's vehicle,” according to the affidavit.
After receiving his Miranda warning for a second time, Benoit allegedly admitted to having a handgun in the vehicle and consented to a search for the gun.
According to the affidavit, police found the gun loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
They arrested Benoit and booked him into the Lewis County Jail.
According to jail records, Benoit posted bail and was released on Feb. 18.
He is scheduled for an arraignment on Feb. 19 and will look to retain private defense counsel.
