PORT ANGELES — A Sequim man who allegedly shot a semi-automatic handgun at a South Barr Road resident and pointed the weapon at another man in the middle of the night in February has rejected a plea offer.
Keith Roberson, 55, will deny the allegations and claim self defense at trial, defense attorney Ralph Anderson said in a resolve/reset hearing Friday.
Visiting Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper reset the trial for Aug. 15 in Clallam County Superior Court.
Roberson’s trail was previously scheduled for Aug. 8.
The 55-year-old is charged with first-degree assault while armed with a firearm and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon while armed with a firearm.
Investigators with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said Roberson was going from house to house knocking on doors at about 4 a.m. Feb. 17 when he was confronted by a neighbor.
Roberson allegedly fired at the man from about 40 feet away, missing him by about 8 feet. The bullet left a hole in a nearby fence, deputies said.
The Sheriff’s Office alleged that Roberson then entered a residence where children were sleeping and pointed the gun at another man.
The man told investigators that Roberson said: “If I’m going out, I’m not going out alone,” according to affidavit for probable cause.
Roberson was arrested in a nearby carport.
He is being held in the Clallam County jail on $250,000 bail.
Anderson was appointed to the case last month after Roberson complained that his working relationship with his court-appointed attorney had reached an impasse.
“He’s been a very, very good client,” Anderson told Harper.
“We going to be spending a lot of time getting ready for trial.”
A pre-trial status conference is set for July 29.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
