FBI

A man from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has pled guilty to making a threat to commit violence in Casper, Wyoming according to Sanford C. Coats, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

On January 14, 2013, public officials received numerous reports of a threatened attack on Casper using multiple weapons. The threat was made on an internet based bulletin board service and quickly distributed through social media, which authorities say caused significant concern in the community. The threats were made shortly after a homicide/suicide at Casper College.

Officials took immediate precautions. Forty schools were locked down, hospitals and nursing homes were notified and police officers were placed at potential locations of an attack.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 34-year-old Glenn Allen Kirkham admitted that he made the threat at a plea hearing on Wednesday. A sentencing hearing is set for June 19, 2013. Kirkham faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus mandatory restitution for the cost of emergency responders.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Casper Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Yancey and Scott E. Williams.