The man arrested earlier today with a gun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck has been released after it was determined that he had no nefarious intentions and that he had gone to the secure inauguration area because he was lost, the Washington Post reports.
Wesley Allen Beeler, a 31-year-old from Front Royal, Virginia, will still face charges related to possessing an unregistered handgun in DC.
A security contractor, Beeler claimed that he forgot he had his handgun in the car as he drove to DC, more than an hour’s drive. He only remember when he was more than halfway to Washington, and because he was running late, he decided to continue on.
When he got in the city, he got lost because of his unfamiliarity with the city and his GPS unhelpful due to road closures. He pulled into the checkpoint to the inauguration site to ask for directions. Beeler showed the officers the credentials he was given from his employer, MVP Protective Services, not trying to pass them off as inauguration credentials.
Federal prosecutors did not object to the release of Beeler, and he will be issued a later court date for the weapons offenses.