July 09--A Camas man pleaded not guilty today in Clark County Superior Court to threatening a city employee with a gun June 17 after the employee informed him that he had painted a city fire hydrant the wrong color.
Steven W. Timmons, 54, is scheduled to be tried Sept. 30 on a charge of first-degree assault.
Timmons, who is out of jail on $50,000 bail, allegedly covered a yellow city fire hydrant with red paint in front of his house, police said.
Tobin Reed Sr., a lead utility maintenance worker for the city, noticed the city hydrant was the wrong color and left Timmons a note about the violation and how to repaint the hydrant.
When Timmons came home and found the note, he decided to confront Reed, police said. He went to Reed's house in the 1300 block of Dallas Street, argued with Reed and then brandished a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, police said.
Timmons, who allegedly was intoxicated, put the weapon in Reed's face and said, "I'll kill you, (expletive)," according to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court.
Reed wrestled the gun away from Timmons and pushed it into the street, court documents say. He held Timmons to the ground until Camas police officers arrived around 6:30 p.m. and placed Timmons under arrest.
No one fired the gun, and there were no injuries, police said.
Timmons told police that he didn't think the gun was loaded, but a police officer found a cartridge in the gun's chamber and five in the magazine, court records say.
Fire hydrants are painted yellow in Camas to indicate to firefighters and other city employees that the hydrant is owned and maintained by the city. Red is reserved for privately owned fire hydrants.
Paris Achen: 360-735-4551; http://twitter.com/Col_Courts; http://facebook.com/ColTrends; [email protected].
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