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(Steve Mayes/The Oregonian)

Timothy Windell

Tim Windell had a lot on his mind when he went to the Clackamas County Courthouse last May 6.

He was waiting in line when the building opened at 8 a.m. He was under arrest 10 minutes later.

Windell operates a popular sports camp on Mt. Hood. On May 1, Windell said he fired an employee -- a maintenance worker who had keys to almost every door in the camp -- and feared retaliation.

Windell went to the courthouse to apply for a stalking order. He had been there the day before to pick up the paperwork.

He was tired and troubled and had forgotten something important: the 9 mm semi-automatic Luger pistol in his backpack.

As he passed through courthouse security, the gun was discovered and Windell was arrested on the spot.

Windell was back at the Clackamas County Courthouse on Wednesday, facing trial for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of firearm or dangerous weapon in a court facility.

Only law enforcement officers and those with the permission of the presiding judge may bring firearms into the courthouse.

Windell did not have a concealed handgun permit. The law says a person may not knowingly possesses a handgun that is concealed and readily accessible.

The 12-person jury will begin deliberating Thursday morning.

"There's almost no disagreement about what happened," said defense attorney Whitney Boise. "What this case is about is what Mr. Windell was thinking or was not thinking."

Windell, a national champion snowboarder in the 1980s and '90s, founded Windell's Sports Camp and Academy in 1988.

At the time he fired the employee, Brian Dean Jerger, Windell was in the process of merging his business with another sports camp. He was awaiting more than 1,000 students who would attend summer programs. He and his fiancee were focused on their 8-month-old baby.

Windell also had learned a large amount of property belonged to the sports camp was found at Jerger's home, he said. And he discovered that Jerger had a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Windell said he spent five restless nights patrolling the 53-acre camp watching for anything amiss.

Warning sign at the Clackamas County Courthouse entrance.

"I don't think I slept too much during the night. I took naps during the day," Windell said.

"I didn't feel comfortable leaving my family home alone," but did not want to leave the sports camp unattended at night, he said.

Windell said he "was scared to death" when he learned of Jerger's criminal past. Prosecutor Jeremy Morrow pointed out Jerger's gun possession convictions were nearly 20 years old.

Windell said he and his fiancee "decided we'd pull out guns to protect ourselves."

He had a handgun and a rifle that he kept locked up and had not touched for years.

Windell said the handgun was rusty. After getting the stalking order, Windell said he planned to take the pistol to a gun shop and have it cleaned that day. He said he had no clip and no ammunition for the gun.

The prosecutor told the jury that Windell made a conscious decision to put the handgun in backpack and rifle in the back of his Subaru on the evening of May 5.

Morrow said Windell testified that he had just two things on his to-do list on May 6: Go to the courthouse and go the gun shop.

"The number one defense is 'I forgot,'" Morrow said.

Windell is a successful businessman with 150 employees, the prosecutor noted."This is not somebody who forgets," Morrow said.

But Windell's attorney asked: Why would the businessman bring a gun into the courthouse knowing he would be caught?

"It makes no sense to carry a round a gun with no bullets and no clip," Boise said. "It's a good way to get killed."

Morrow reminded jurors there is a warning sign at the courthouse entrance that says guns and other dangerous items are prohibited.

Windell had passed that sign on May 5 and May 6, Morrow said.

Windell said he didn't see the warning. "I didn't pay attention to the signs," he said.

"I've traveled the world," Windell said. "I know that you don't take guns or knives through security."

-- Steve Mayes

503-294-5916; @ocmayes