Ex-lobbyist faces gun charge

Don Beason accused in motorists' dispute

The former lobbyist who loaned former House Speaker Jim Black $500,000 is facing a misdemeanor charge related to a confrontation with another motorist in July.

Don Beason, 68, was charged with assault by pointing a gun in an incident last month about a mile and a half from his Raleigh home.

Beason, who quit his lucrative lobbying practice this month, is under investigation by Wake County prosecutors for the loan, which Black revealed at his sentencing in late July.

The incident involving the gun happened July 6. Prosecutors say they do not think it was connected to Beason's political activities.

The confrontation happened in the parking lot of a gas station off Oberlin Road near Cameron Village shortly before 1 p.m. July 6. Jason Batten of Raleigh had pulled into the store to get some Excedrin for his fiancee, Chrisy Tellis, according to their lawyer.

Beason, who was in a Toyota pickup at a stoplight, began honking at the couple, attorney Steve Glass said. When they walked to his truck to talk with him, Beason pulled a silver revolver from the truck's console, Glass said.

"The gun was still in its holster, but he was waving it at them," Glass said.

The stoplight then changed, and Beason drove off. The couple called 911 with the truck's license plate number and surreptitiously followed him for five to seven minutes until police arrived, Glass said. Beason was pulled over on Capital Boulevard, north of downtown Raleigh.

Beason could face as many as 60 days in jail or as little as probation or a fine because he has no prior criminal record. His case will be handled by a District Court judge. If found guilty, he could appeal for a jury trial in Superior Court.

"We expect this case to be handled like any other case," said Assistant District Attorney David Sherlin.

Beason's lawyer, Bob Hensley, a former state House member, would not talk about the case before it goes to court Sept. 20. But Hensley, a friend of Beason's for more than 17 years, said that the charges did not sound like him.

"I don't think I've ever seen Don raise his voice to anybody under any circumstances," he said.

Beason has had a concealed weapon permit from the Wake County Sheriff's Office since 1998, which he has renewed twice, according to state records. His current permit expires in 2012.

Lobbyist Jerry Williams, a close friend who often goes on motorcycle rides with Beason, said he knew Beason had guns, but he had never seen Beason pull one and he and Beason had never talked about them. Williams said Beason did not tell him about the incident.

"I just don't see anything like that happening unless he felt some kind of a threat," Williams said.

Neither Batten, a residential real-estate developer, nor his fiancee realized who Beason was during the incident or after extensive news coverage of the Black loan. In a brief interview, Batten said he did not even remember Beason's name.

"They are totally apolitical," Glass said. "They didn't know who he was, so they didn't have any appreciation for the significance of it, other than here's the guy who pulled a gun on them."

(Staff writer Dan Kane contributed to this report.)