Pepperdine President's Son Charged

The son of Pepperdine President Andrew Benton is facing charges stemming from accusations that he made threats against his family and brought a loaded gun on campus.

Christopher Benton, 27, pleaded not guilty to charges of making criminal threats, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and possession of a firearm.

Benton appeared in court Monday in Van Nuys, where his bail was reduced from $250,000 to $195,000. He remains behind bars at the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles, according to jail records.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 7 for a preliminary hearing.

Thursday, Aug. 24 on Pepperdine's campus. School started Monday.

His father, Andrew Benton, sent out a campus-wide announcement Tuesday that his son will not be allowed back on campus for some time. ()

He is accused of bringing a loaded semi-automatic handgun on campus, which was found on a hillside and the ammunition was reportedly found in his car, according to Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Benton had gone to his parents' home, which is on campus, on Wednesday, and allegedly made threats against them, Whitmore said. His parents called the sheriff's department, and deputies looked for Benton overnight.

When Benton returned to the family home on Thursday, campus security called the sheriff's department.

"The young man ran out of a side door and down a small hill," Whitmore said. "Our deputies retraced where he ran and that is how we discovered the weapon."

Benton, who spent time in a rehabilitation facility earlier this year, was wanted for questioning in the overdose death of 25-year-old Katie Wilkins in April. Investigators said Benton was likely the last person who saw Wilkins alive, based on surveillance footage that showed the pair at a McDonald’s restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway.