A Lehigh County man, on trial in Carbon County, said he pointed a gun at a resort security guard out of fear.

Scott Timothy Watkins, 52, of New Tripoli, told the jury panel at his trial on Thursday morning that he thought the guard, Christopher Wean, of Palmerton, was a danger to him. Watkins’ testimony as to the events on May 14, 2016, were different from that of Wean and another guard, Jason Cerkan.

Afraid of guard

Watkins said he was afraid of Wean as he approached him outside his trailer in the Sunny Rest resort in Lower Towamensing Township.

Watkins said Wean had been involved in an assault incident before and he said that fact was “always in the back of my head.”

Watkins testified he arrived at the resort about 8:30 p.m. and saw Wean at the guard shack, located near the entrance to the clothing-optional resort. He said he spoke with Wean for about 15 minutes before leaving and stopping at a neighbor’s trailer.

He said he and his wife, Lisa Watkins, drove to their trailer, where they unloaded some items and she mixed drinks for the both of them.

He said he and his wife walked back to the neighbors’, but that gathering was breaking up. He said they returned to their trailer, got in their vehicle and drove to another trailer where there was a deck party.

Watkins said they were there about 10 minutes when Wean and Cerkan arrived. They spoke briefly and his wife told him she was going to get a ride with Wean and Cerkan in their golf cart to their trailer so she could go the bathroom and get another drink for herself.

Watkins testified that he only had one drink that night.

After about 20 minutes Watkins said he became concerned about his wife taking so long to return and drove up to their trailer. As he pulled in he said he could see Cerkan and Wean leaving the trailer quickly.

He got out of the vehicle and walked toward the trailer, passing Wean. He said Cerkan had run off behind the trailer. He said he could smell marijuana as he passed Wean.

Watkins said his wife was in a very different condition from when she left the party.

“She was extremely more intoxicated,” he said. “I thought she was drugged.”

He said his wife fell over some plywood in the trailer. After picking her up he went to the doorway of the trailer and yelled for Wean to leave.

He said he yelled it several times.

Gun incident

He said Wean began to leave, but as he told him to go again, Wean turned and started to walk toward the trailer. He said that was when he pulled out his .40-caliber handgun which he had tucked behind him in the small of his back.

He said he held the gun with both hands and pointed at Wean and again told him to leave. He said Wean made two more steps toward him, then turned around and went back to the golf cart and left.

Watkins, under questioning by defense attorney Brian Collins, said the safety was on the weapon. He said after Wean left, he called police to report what happened. He said the police told him to put the weapon down and stay where he was at until officers arrived.

He also said when Wean first started to work as a security guard at the resort, he was also a guard and helped train him.

He claimed that during this time Wean had told him about being arrested and convicted of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, involving his pregnant girlfriend. He said Wean told him he had kicked her in the stomach.

He also claimed that Wean had shown him guns, once in a duffel bag in the guard shack and another time in Wean’s car.

Wean had told the jury on Tuesday that he never told Watkins about his arrest, which occurred about 15 to 16 years earlier, and never showed him any guns. He told the panel he never owned any guns.

Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Ann Dyrda Hatton, Watkins denied he was intoxicated the night of the incident, saying he only had one drink all evening.

Testimony from two state troopers indicated that Watkins was intoxicated at the time they made contact with him.

He admitted saying he told people he worked as a police officer, but in fact he was an officer of the ASPCA of New Jersey and his only arrest powers were for animal cruelty.

Hatton asked Watkins if he was afraid of Wean when he worked with him as a security guard. Watkins said, “Not afraid of him. I’m concerned about him.”

Watkins also admitted he never saw Wean with a gun the night of the incident, but said, “He could’ve had one.”

He also denied accusing his wife of cheating on him that night or ever accusing her of cheating.

He also denied hitting his wife that night, as testified to by Wean.

When asked about pulling the gun on Wean, Watkins said he was “protecting myself, my family and my wife.”

Collins also called two friends of Watkins as character witnesses.

Collins rested his case at 3 p.m. President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II then recessed until 9 a.m. today.

The trial began Tuesday but was interrupted by Wednesday’s storm and resumed Thursday.

This is the second time Watkins is on trial on the recklessly endangering and simple assault charges.

Last October he was on trial when Nanovic had to declare a mistrial when he learned that some of the jurors in that trial had already begun discussing the case before all testimony, closing arguments and charge of the court were completed.