Arraignment pushed back for deputy arrested in gun incident in Roslyn

The arraignment of a former Kittitas County sheriff deputy accused of pointing a pistol at people after he was kicked out of a Roslyn bar earlier this month has been postponed until August. Nicholas Ronald Burson, 40, is facing felony charges of three counts of second-degree assault with a firearm as well as official misconduct. Burson was arrested following an incident at the Brick Saloon on Sunday, June 7. Cle Elum police were called to the tavern just before 1 a.m. when witnesses said he aimed a handgun at three people after he was escorted out of the bar. At the time, Burson was an off-duty deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses said he “made crude and sexual statements” to women who were having a bachelorette party at the bar. When he was confronted about his behavior, he threatened to fight others in the saloon and said he was a deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. After Burson was kicked out of the bar, witnesses said he was waiting outside for people to leave and then drove past the tavern in his Toyota RAV4 pointing a gun. Burson had been scheduled to be arraigned on the felony charges Thursday in Kittitas County Superior Court. The arraignment hearing was postponed to Aug. 6 after defense attorney Robin Emmans asked the court to allow out-of-state travel so Burson could get in-patient treatment in California. In court documents, Emmans said the treatment was scheduled for 45 days at First Responder Wellness in Newport, Calif. Burson’s treatment provider will evaluate Burson’s condition and recommend more time in treatment if it is needed, Emmans added. Last week, Yakima Superior Court Judge Jeffery Swan agreed to allow Burson’s request to leave Washington. Swan is presiding over the criminal case following the recusals of Kittitas County Superior Court Judges Chris Herion and James Kirkham earlier this month. Burson was placed on administrative leave from the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office following the incident at the Brick. Sheriff Clay Myers, in a June 9 letter posted to Facebook, announced he activated the “immediate termination” of Burson from the sheriff’s office. Myers said he came to the decision after reviewing witness statements and probable cause documents. “Though one of the most painful actions I have taken in my law enforcement career, it was also one of the most necessary,” Myers said in the letter. “Mr. Burson is a friend, a family member and has served this community for many years,” Myers added. “His actions do not erase the many things he has done in support of public safety, and there are numerous people who would not be alive today had it not been for him.” “That said, no level of past good justifies the alleged behavior, and his actions now forfeit his right to continue providing service as a sheriff’s deputy, and he must now face the consequences of unlawfully endangering members of the public,” Myers wrote. During Burson’s last court appearance, the judge approved no-contact protection orders for the three people named as victims; a 33-year-old man, a 26-year-old woman, and a 27-year-old man. Swan also ordered Burson to surrender any firearms or dangerous weapons issued by the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office back to the sheriff’s office, and to hand over any other firearms and dangerous weapons to the Washington State Patrol’s Ellensburg detachment. Court records show Burson surrendered 33 firearms, as well as one revolver owned by his wife. Burson’s weapons included five AR-15 assault rifles, three .44 Magnum revolvers, two .357 revolvers, two .38 Special Luger revolvers, three camouflage shotguns, various hunting rifles, and other long guns and carbines. The firearms were turned over to a State Patrol detective at Burson’s Ellensburg home on June 8.