A Port Angeles man has pleaded not guilty to firearm and drug charges after authorities alleged he left a jacket containing a loaded handgun and suspected methamphetamine at a slot machine inside the Elwha Casino.
Timothy Allen Williams, 44, entered the pleas October 2 before Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Seth Corley charged Williams on September 24 with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine.
The charges stem from a September 21 investigation at the casino on Stratton Road, according to an arrest report by Clallam County sheriff’s Deputy Martin Brazier.
Brazier wrote that casino security found a loaded .38-caliber handgun and a small bag of suspected methamphetamine inside a blue jacket left at a slot machine. Williams later asked security whether staff had seen his jacket, and an Elwha police officer detained him, according to the report.
Brazier wrote that he reviewed surveillance footage showing Williams entering the casino wearing the jacket, sitting at a slot machine, removing the jacket and leaving it on the chair. According to his report, the jacket remained untouched after Williams left it until security staff found it.
According to Brazier’s account, Williams told officers without prompting that he had more drugs in his pocket. A Port Angeles police officer found additional bags of suspected methamphetamine while searching him after his arrest, the report states.
Williams was booked into the Clallam County Jail, according to the report.
Prosecutors allege Williams was barred from possessing a firearm because of a 2021 second-degree assault conviction. The firearm count is charged as a Class B felony.
At Williams’ September 22 preliminary appearance, prosecutors requested $10,000 bail. The defense sought release on personal recognizance or a lower bail amount, according to court minutes.
Judge Elizabeth Stanley ordered Williams released on personal recognizance. Her order restricts his travel to Washington, prohibits possession of firearms or other deadly weapons, and bars drug use or possession except as prescribed by a physician.
Williams appeared out of custody at his October 2 arraignment. He is represented by Ari Goldstein of Clallam Public Defender.
Judge Basden scheduled a status hearing for 1 p.m. November 13 and a two-day trial beginning at 9 a.m. December 14.
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