Christopher Benton pleaded no contest on Sept. 7 to making threats against his father, Andrew K. Benton, and possessing a firearm by a narcotic addict and could face two years in prison when he returns to court on Sept. 21, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He will be sentenced at the end of the month and it is anticipated that he will face two years in prison, according to an email statement from President Benton. The statement also affirmed that Benton would not be allowed to return to campus.
Benton previously faced five felony counts at his arraignment on Aug. 27, where he pled not guilty and could have faced five years in prison. The three felony charges are expected to be dismissed when he is sentenced. According to the complaint, the five felony charges identified that on Aug. 22, Benton threatened his parents at the Brock House in a way “that would result in death and great bodily harm,” which led the family to “fear for his/her safety and the safety of his/her immediate family.”
Christopher’s family also alleged that he committed grand theft of a firearm that was their personal property at the time.
When the Bentons contacted the sheriff’s department and Christopher was not found when deputies arrived the night of Aug. 22, he reportedly still had the handgun in his possession.
When he returned to campus the next morning Christopher ran down a campus hill, where police later found the weapon, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Christopher was arrested on the second floor of the Thornton Administrative Center on Aug. 23, where he has remained in custody since then.
The university’s Threat Assessment Team has since banned Christopher from accessing all Pepperdine campuses until, if ever, they decide it is safe to allow his return. President Benton informed the community of this decision through email on Aug. 28.
[UPDATED on Sept. 11 at 2:10 p.m.: On Tuesday morning, the Public Relations Office sent the Pepperdine community a message from President Benton:
“Last Friday, September 7, our son, Chris, pled no contest to two felony charges stemming from his arrest on August 23. He will be sentenced later this month. We anticipate his sentence will include incarceration for two years.
Upon his release, whenever that happens, he will not be allowed to return to campus. Any change in that status will be determined independently by the Threat Assessment Team, a process in which I will take no part.
Any further communication, if it is deemed necessary, will come from others at the University. I close my final public comments on this matter by expressing my sincere gratitude for your patience and support throughout this difficult time.
Andrew K. Benton”]
