SANTA ANA : Federal Agent Accused of DUI, Gun Violations

The Orange County district attorney’s office Tuesday charged a U.S. Secret Service agent with driving under the influence of alcohol in a government car and pointing his service weapon at two people in Orange after a traffic dispute.

James Stickler Beeson, 43, a special agent assigned to the Los Angeles field office, allegedly was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 percent--2 1/2 times the legal limit--when the incident occurred on Oct. 11.

According to Deputy Dist. Atty. Bruce Moore, Beeson pointed his 9-millimeter service weapon at two people at the end of a traffic dispute that began on the Santa Ana Freeway, and took the two cars onto the Garden Grove and Costa Mesa freeways.

The other driver involved in the altercation went directly to an Orange police station to report the gun incident. Meanwhile, Beeson also contacted police to report the altercation. When police arrived to interview Beeson, they gave him a sobriety test, which he failed, officials said.

James E. Bauer, special agent in charge of the L.A. office of the U.S. Secret Service, said Beeson has not been suspended from his job.

Beeson’s arraignment has been set for Jan. 5 in Orange County Municipal Court in Santa Ana.