Vancouver man pleads guilty to pointing gun at woman

A 58-year-old Vancouver man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail for pointing a handgun at a woman because her vehicle’s headlights were shining into his trailer windows in the early morning hours of July 24.

Ron W. Wilson pleaded guilty to felony harassment with death threats. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault and recommended a sentence of 30 days.

Although Clark County Superior Court Judge Scott Collier agreed to the recommendation, he had the authority to sentence him to up to 90 days in jail. He said 30 days was acceptable given Wilson’s age and lack of any significant criminal history.

He received 21 days credit for time served.

The victim, Ebony M. Thalhamer, had parked her vehicle near Wilson’s trailer at 17403 S.E. Evergreen Highway, apparently to visit her sister at a nearby residence, said Wilson’s attorney, Susan Stauffer of Vancouver.

Wilson confronted Thalhamer about shining her vehicle’s headlights in his window, which prompted a verbal dispute, Stauffer said.

Wilson then left and retrieved a handgun from his residence, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in court. He pointed the gun at Thalhamer’s face and told her that if she didn’t switch off her lights, he was going to shoot her and her car. He also referred to Thalhamer by a racial slur, struck her with his phone and pushed her into her car, she said in a victim’s impact statement filed in court.

Vancouver police summoned to the scene just after 3 a.m. arrested Wilson.

Thalhamer said she was traumatized by the encounter.

“What person does something like that?” she wrote.

Paris Achen: 360-735-4551; http://twitter.com/Col_Courts; http://facebook.com/ColTrends; paris.achen@columbian.com