Former Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Bomb Threat at Veterans Clinic

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to making a bomb threat at the Veterans Affairs Clinic in Mount Vernon, Mo.

Richard Leslie Turner III, 48, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to the charge contained in an Aug. 14, 2018, federal indictment.

By pleading guilty today, Turner admitted that he threatened on July 13, 2018, to blow up the Community Based Outpatient Clinic located at 600 N. Main St. in Mount Vernon.

Turner arrived at the clinic on July 13, 2018, for an appointment but was told the appointment had been changed. Turner became angry and left the clinic. Shortly afterward another patient informed a staff member that Turner was in the parking lot making statements about obtaining explosives and blowing up the clinic. When authorities contacted Turner by phone later that day, he became angry that the clinic had called the police and stated that he really intended to blow up the clinic because the police had called him.

Under federal statutes, Turner is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the FBI, the Mount Vernon, Mo., Police Department, the Veteran’s Affairs Police Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.