BOZEMAN — Two residents of what officials called a Bozeman Urban Camping District appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
Thomas Beeda, 42 years old, and Paula Klampien, 38, were arrested on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, after allegedly hitting another camper with a metal object.
Court documents state that the victim had been assaulted and beaten with a baseball bat and his eye was almost out of its socket.
According to the report, Beeda and Klampien had accused the victim of stealing money from Klampien's trailer while she was incarcerated days prior.
This assault comes just days after Bozeman city staff shared statistics regarding safety in urban camping areas - revealing that 10 percent of all misdemeanor and felony cases opened by Bozeman Police in the last year have occurred in these areas.
In court, it was revealed that Klampien has a second pending assault charge and a flight from justice charge.
Beeda has a pending possession of drugs charge and a failure to appear charge.
Taking this information into consideration, both Beeda and Klampien were charged with assault with a deadly weapon, and their bail was set at $200,000 each.
They will next be seen in district court on August 23, 2024.
