Following a violent, unprovoked assault on a 71-year-old Port Angeles man over the weekend, the 6-foot-8 suspect is scheduled to undergo a psychological assessment while in custody.

Joseph “Wes” Beeman, 46, returned to court on Wednesday, April 1, before Judge Barnhart, marking a shift from his prior appearance before Judge Brent Basden. Throughout the hearing, Beeman remained largely unresponsive, offering no verbal input.

Citing his client’s demeanor, public defender Harry Gasnick formally asked for a competency evaluation to be conducted while Beeman remains incarcerated. Judge Barnhart granted the motion, also concluding there was sufficient evidence to support the pending charges. A follow-up hearing is set for April 10 at 1:00 p.m. to assess the results of the psychological review.

One procedural matter addressed involved adjusting the no-contact order originally issued for Beeman to protect victim Robert Graul. During Beeman’s first court appearance, Judge Basden had imposed a standard no-contact provision prohibiting him from entering within 1,000 feet of Graul’s home. Because the two men live next door to one another, this standard framework posed practical challenges. Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols proposed tweaks to better reflect their close proximity. Gasnick acquiesced, and Judge Barnhart adopted the revised terms ahead of arraignment.

Notably, while Beeman is restricted from interacting with Graul, he remains free to reach out to Senator Chapman—the individual who intervened physically to stop the attack—without constraint. Legal observers suggest this omission may reflect judicial caution: imposing a formal restriction on a citizen’s ability to communicate with a sitting state senator could raise First Amendment concerns, particularly around the right to petition government officials.

Senator Chapman’s role in defusing the assault has drawn renewed attention to his history of confronting threats. He was on hand to witness the incident from his home and stepped in to shield Graul as Beeman struck him. That instinctive courage echoes an earlier chapter in Chapman’s career. In the late 1990s, he worked as a federal customs inspector at the Port Angeles border crossing. On December 14, 1999, he helped apprehend Ahmed Ressam—an al-Qaeda affiliate later dubbed the “Millennium Bomber”—who had concealed over 100 pounds of explosives bound for Los Angeles International Airport. When Ressam attempted to flee after agents spotted explosive residue in his vehicle, Chapman, clad in full uniform, pursued him on foot, fired warnings, and assisted in bringing him down after Ressam tried to hijack a car mid-block.

Nearly three decades after neutralizing a major terrorist threat on local soil, Chapman’s readiness to act in high-stakes moments was again on full display over the weekend. With Beeman’s competency review due next week, residents have voiced appreciation for the senator’s timely and courageous intervention.

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